The Gathering
by FireIdar
Summary: An Heroic but tortured young man brings together a group of unusual beings to protect innocents and save the helpless from those of evil. Contains torture\beating, angst, attempted slavery, violence, brainwashing and drug use. Vampires!
1. Chapter 1

Years ago I had a previous account on this site under another name. However due to my computer crashing I lost all my account info and haven't been able to find it again. So I opened an new account and started submitting. Since I previously submitted my own fictions and am unable to recover them I've had to resubmit, but the fiction is different. Now it's an Naruto one. So characters are in an alternate world with different histories and lives.

Itachi and Sasuke aren't brothers but father and son. Kisame and Suigetsu are father and son. Obito is an Uchiha, but not an direct relation. The Akatsuki and ANBU are good guys. Kushina is alive (well for a while at least) as is Minato. So on.

I don't own Naruto or the associated characters or make money from them, but this fic is MINE!

P.S.-don't dob me in for 'stealing' this fic if you've read my other version, it's mine and I give myself permission to use it!

*********************Start Story**************************

Minato Namikaze opened his eyes and looked lovingly into the face of his wife Kushina. Slowly she opened her own eyes, the enchanting green that had first drew in him and made him fall head-over-heels with love doing again so now. "Hi" she smiled, her accent smiling along with her eyes.

"Hi yourself" he smiled back. He leant over and, unable to help himself, kissed her on the lips "How are you feeling this morning?" Kushina stretched her long and lean body on the bed, her sexy body dragging his eyes from her face for an instant "Warm, warm and comfy. I don't want to get up yet."

"Well you don't, all the chores would be done by now."

"Naruto?" She smirked, referring to their eleven-year old son and Minato smiled back "Yeah. He's up doing his chores happily at a time of day I'd still be snoring away."

"You don't snore!" Kushina started to laugh when the door downstairs slammed open and there came an urgent cry of "DAD! MOM!" from the bottom of the staircase. Usually Naruto called his parents Mother and Father, Mom and Dad were used only when it was important. So, Minato grabbing boxer shorts and Kushina a robe they pulled them on and rushed to the stairs, meeting the boy halfway.

Naruto their son was tall and muscular for his age. His mothers supple body, but his fathers blondeness. His mother's intense eyes, but in his father's blue as well as his muscles. Years of chores on the farm and working out in the school gym had built up the boy's arms and legs. However like his father he had a way of looking strong, but not more so than usual. He looked muscular, but only enough so people knew he could handle himself if forced. He bore three thin slashes across each cheek, coming from an 'Incident' when he was a child.

Their sons' urgent eyes met theirs, signs of higher intelligence in them they had held since birth, which had lead to tests to discover Naruto was one of the ever increasing number of abnormally gifted humans, now referred to as Nin.

His abilities as an nin were starting to show closer to puberty, and the Namikaze's' family Doctor told them once that happened there was no telling what the boy would be able to do. But for now all he showed was a higher intelligence, a genius with architect and technical equipment-such as programming computers and an immunity to a drug once exposed to it.

"What is it, Naruto?" Kushina asked urgently and the boy spoke between gasps for breath "There're people in the bean field, Mother! I went to pick the ripe ones for dinner tonight before I got ready for school and found them! There's this big burnt hole in the ground like an meteor hit and they're lying in there!"

"How many and what are they doing?" she asked curiously and he replied "Two men, a boy my age and a baby. They're unconscious but dressed weirdly."

"Who cares how they are dressed, they need our help! Minato, take the trailer up to the field and get them down here while I call Doctor Shizune and get some stuff ready." Minato nodded and steered Naruto down the stairs. The last thing Kushina heard before the door slammed shut was "I still say they're dressed weirdly."

"You're right, Naruto, they ARE dressed weirdly. Help me with this one" Minato said ten minutes later and Naruto aided his father in getting the heavy man in white and grey into the back of the trailer, followed by the boy Narutos age. "Maybe they're actors" Naruto suggested "and something happened to them."

"Like what?" Minato asked. "What could have possibly caused this burn?"

"I don't know" Naruto said honestly. They suddenly started in surprise as the man already in the back opened brown eyes and reached an arm out towards the other man, whispering weakly "Itachi" in fear before fainting from the obvious pain his wounds would have been causing him.

Minato frowned at the man already on the trailer before getting Narutos' help to place the other and more seriously hurt man into the back next to him. Then, with Naruto nursing the baby, they drove back down the front of the farmhouse.

Kushina and Doctor Shizune met them at door, watching them carry the four inside. Kushina took the baby from Naruto and changed it into a nappy and one of Obitos' spare singles. First the Doctor examined the baby, stating it was safe and healthy, only sleeping. Kushina put into the crib next to Obito, the boy they were fostering, and they turned to the more serious other three.

The boy Narutos' age was only suffering minor cuts and bruises and a concussion so was placed on Naruto's spare bed after being patched up and cleaned. After changing the two men's' clothes they were placed in the spare room so the Doctor could examine them properly.

First she examined the man who had been in the grey and white, stating this one was injured but not too badly and should be up and around soon. They would just have to make sure to change his bandages regularly and check the wounds didn't become infected.

Next she moved to the other one, the one whom had been in the heavy black cloak with strange clouds. He was handsome in a thin and skinny way despite his many injuries, but extremely pale and still. As she examined him she frowned in concern and fear.

"What is it, Doctor?" Kushina asked in fear. She was a gentle and kind soul and her look concerned her.

"His injuries are more sever, I'm not sure he'll live. His blood loss is massive and his body seems to have suffered what I can only describe as an animal attack. Teeth marks on the arms and claw marks on the chest. The left leg and right arm and hand almost torn apart plus burned flesh on the hands with god knows what else. However we can't move him or we risk killing him or causing more damage. We'll just have to leave them here."

"We'll take care of them Doctor Shizune" Kushina promised. "You can count on us."

The first to awaken a few days later was the boy Naruto's age. Minato and Kushina were awoken that morning by the sound of crashes and cries from Narutos' room. They ran to find the door locked and Minato only hesitated seconds before trying to force it in.

Just as he got it open they found Naruto flipping the boy over his shoulder, thank god for his karate lessons. The other landed heavily on his butt, not knowing how to land properly and Naruto stood over him silently and tense, waiting for the boys next move. But he only looked up at him, face awed by Narutos' speed and strength and considering the other's muscles and bulk that was saying a lot.

For long minutes they only stared at each other, then slowly Naruto held out his hand. He recognised he had won the boys respect and wondered if he would accept the promise in his hand too. At first they thought the fear would win out but then he reached out and took it, grasping it firmly and climbing to his feet with Narutos' help.

The other smiled and laid a hand over his heart, saying softly "Suigetsu" as he did.

Naruto copied the gesture and said his own name, the other smiling and nodded. Then suddenly he saw Minato and Kushina in the doorway, face and body tense ready for attack. But Naruto shook his head and went to his parents' side, laying a hand on their arms and saying softly "Father- Minato," and "Mother-Kushina" as he did.

The boy seemed to understand and nodded. Relaxing slightly and frowning in fear he motioned around him and asked, "Father?" They understood this time and Naruto motioned him to follow as the parents lead him to the men's room. The boy frowned again and went to the muscular mans' side while Kushina went over to check the other mans bandages.

He reached out and gently touched one of his father's cuts, his other hand rising to touch his own bandaged head. Then he grasped his shoulder and repeated one word over and over again until the man stirred for the first time in three days and opened those piercing blue eyes, the same black as his sons'.

As the eyes opened Suigetsu smiled down at him in relief. The man managed a weak smile back and spoke a language they had never heard before. The boy shrugged, answering in the same language. The man then asked something else in a concerned voice, repeating that word he had used three days before "Itachi?"

The boy pointed to the other man and answered, voice filled with concern. The man's head turned to look at his friend, frowning in concern when he saw all the bandages. He looked back briefly at his son, who shrugged again and said something else. The man looked back at his friend and continued to frown until he closed his eyes and slept.

For the next few days Suigetsu followed Naruto around the farm before and after school, learning all he had to teach him. He seemed hungry for new things to learn, new words. Minato was surprised about how much Naruto was enjoying teaching his new friend. Then he realised it was simple why. All his life Naruto had been different to others, no matter how much he tried to fit in and only Inari from the farm down the road had any interest in the boy as a friend.

Now Naruto had found someone as unusual as him and so had taken the boy under his wing and treating him as a brother, as he would like other boys to treat him.

In return Suigetsu became a protective companion, he knew Naruto was lonely and that he was different and sensed a kinship. He also knew that despite the Karate lessons Naruto was an pacifist and wouldn't fight unless threatened, and so took it on himself to be his new friends defender. In fact one day when Naruto had come home with an black eye from an bullies lucky punch both Minato and his nearly fully recovered father had to physically hold him back from storming out, hunting down the bully and beating him to a pulp.

By now he had picked up quiet a few words from Naruto, a few even that Minato didn't approve of. Yet Naruto didn't swear-so where did he get them? He got his answer one day. He was in the backfield, ploughing, when the machine got stuck. As he fought to free it and swearing to himself a blue streak all the time, he heard a small imitating voice close by and two sets of boyish laughter.

He looked up to find Naruto and Suigetsu by the trees surrounding the farm and watching him, both eyes alight with laughter at him. It was the first time Minato had ever seen Naruto outside playing like a normal boy and he realised that it was Suigetsu's influence, the boy was encouraging his son to try new things.

That was all Naruto needed, someone his age who he trusted encouraging him to try other things.

Minato gave them both a talking to about laughing at people. "Yes father" Naruto said obediently, although that didn't stop the laughter spilling out of his eyes. "Good. Now off with you both or you'll get in my way."

"Yes father" Naruto repeated and the two moved off, but a certain distance Minato could hear them both start to chortle. He shook his head and smiled. It was good to hear Naruto laugh, before Suigetsu turned up the boy had been too serious. Now he sounded like a real kid.

Except the Father and Mother part. "Ah well" Minato laughed to himself "nobodies' perfect."

One day something happened to help improve the thin mans' still dangerous condition. Naruto and Suigetsu were milking the cows in the barn and talking about the man. "Itachi hurt very badly" the boy was saying. "Correct" Naruto smiled "Your fathers friend is hurt seriously. I don't know if he'll heal or just die."

"Correct" Suigetsu copied, shaking his head "Itachi heal." Naruto looked at him long and hard "How do you know he'll be all right?" Not knowing the right word Suigetsu leant over and drew a katana-like sword with a jewel in the pommel in the sawdust on the floor, repeating "Sharingan" over and over again.

"Sword? What sword? There wasn't any sword with you or in your belongings." After a thoughtful pause a sudden idea struck him and he motioned Suigetsu to follow him. Taking the milk up to the house they then headed down to the bean felids where Naruto had first found them. After watching the boy nin look around for a few minutes the boy warrior joined in, or at least copied.

Naruto found something about ten minutes later in the middle of the rose bushes surrounding the field. Calling the other boy over to his side he pointed to a long dark red sword with a strange crystal topping it. "That it?" he asked.

"That is it" Suigetsu mimicked and nodded, reaching for it. But Naruto grabbed his arm and stopped him, pointing to the thorns "Sharp, hurt."

Suigetsu nodded and followed him to Minato who was again in the field, ploughing, minus a shirt as he worked in the hot sun. His muscles rippled as he strained to pull out a stubborn weed, his back; chest; and face glistening with sweat and wearing a black bandana to keep his blonde hair from his eyes. He wore only tight white denim shorts and sneakers.

Naruto went straight up to him and explained the situation, then waited to see what his father had to say. "So Suigetsu says this thing can help Itachi heal quicker?" Minato asked as he stood straight and mopped the sweat from his face and chest with his shirt. "Yes father. Even if it doesn't, it belongs to the man. If he dies he should at least have all his things with him."

"True" the man nodded "Meet me there, I'll just tell your mother and get the shears." He grinned suddenly "Your mother won't be happy, they're her prized bushes." Naruto nodded and the boys went back to the field, Minato stopping momentarily at the well to splash some cold water over his face before heading up to the house.

"There Naruto. Can you reach it?" Minato asked a few minutes later.

Naruto reached in, straining to get closer without being scratched. "No, I just need a few more feet." He pulled out and Minato was about to raise the shears again when Suigetsu shoved his hand in, grabbing the sword and pulling it out he smiled triumphantly at them, although his hand was cut from the contact with the thorns.

He let them have a good look at it.

It was a long and dark red katana with strange gold writing etched down it vertically. The strangest crystal they had ever seen topped the pommel. It was red as well, although a slightly lighter shade. Inside the crystal was a strange design, almost an eye, but with three tiny commas sideways, one at the top and the other two either side.

Afterwards he turned and lead the way back to the house, taking it directly up to the spare room, to the man and Suigetsu's father, who had barely moved from his friends side since recovering.

The man turned when they entered, his face lighting up as soon as he saw it. Launching to his feet and into a string of the other language but Suigetsu just shrugged. Minato, Kushina and Naruto watched as the boy brought it over to the bed as the man gently shook his friend awake. Slowly, very slowly, the eyes opened. They gasped in shock and surprise. Red, red eyes just like the crystal. Not bbown like Suigetsu or Kisame, or even Kushina's green and Naruto and Minato's blue. Or black or even hazel-but red.

The strange eyes slowly set on his friend and gently Kisame took the sword from his son and laid on the bed beside the hurt man, who frowned, reaching out with one bandaged hand and stroking it. His free fingertips over the writing they ran over the gold letters almost lovingly, reassuring himself it was his.

As he touched it the crystal lit up, reacting to him as if knowing whom now touched it. Sensing its owner the red centre glowed, the three symbols starting to spin inside, the stange commas appearing in his eyes as well and also starting to spin. This only reassured the man more and he smiled weakly, his eyes slowly closing. The crystal continued to glow as long as his fingers touched it. Kisame turned to them and smiled with total relief and joy, to him everything would now be all right.

The next afternoon Kisame sawMinato and Kushinas' expressions when he walked in to the kitchen, frowned asking haltingly "What is wrong?" Minato said nothing, continuing to try and work something out on the calculator, frowning in worry. So Kushina explained, "We need money Kisame, and a lot, too pay off our debts and the mortgage on the house. Our fields aren't producing."

"Money. This is bad?"

"Very bad, Kisame. If we don't pay up we'll loose the farm, people will take it from us and we won't have anywhere to live." Kisame's expression showed he would let NO ONE take his new friends' home from them.

"No, Kisame" Kushina said softly "Even you couldn't stop them, and we wouldn't want you to try. If only we had some money we could pay." Kisame murmured "Money" and disappeared upstairs for a minute or so. When he returned he was carrying a small leather drawstring pouch, handing it to Kushina. Minato looked up when she gasped, looking at least twenty strange gold coins. Kushina looked back up at Kisame "We can't take these, they're yours."

The man just shook his head and closed her fingers over them, pushing them closer to her as if to say "No, they're yours now." Minato spoke reluctantly "Well if we get them melted down the gold should be worth something. Thank you Kisame." The man nodded and smiled at them, pleased to help his new friends.

The next day Doctor Shizune returned to check over the four, Kisame only letting her because Kushina wanted, Suigetsu when Naruto asked. But Itachi seemed to sense the woman was there to help, watching her critically and with genuine and vast interest. When Kisame went to strike her when she made his son wince as she probed the healing cut on his head, Itachi wrapped the fingers of one of his bandaged hands around his wrist, restraining him, although there was no doubt the man was still in an incredibly weak and frail condition.

He spoke for the first time, his voice soft and melodic. His gentle words in their language seemed to affect the man when Suigetsu 's protests weren't. He calmed and sat on the bed next to his friend, although he now watched the Doctor closely. After her examination Itachi took up what he had been doing before the woman arrived, reading the English dictionary. Doctor Shizune took them aside and spoke, voice amazed.

"I've never seen anything like this before. The boy and baby will heal; I know this because they weren't really injured. But both men are healing faster than I've ever seen before, than I expected."

"Well Kisame because of his obvious physical strength and resilience-I mean look at the guy, he makes male Mister Universe Body builder 2012 look like a skinny nerd. I kind of suspected he was going to survive. But Itachi, well, I wasn't sure about him." Minato spoke "I mean the guy's thin and skinny, not to mention pale, even if he is obviously muscular some. I was sure the blood-loss would kill him. But now look at him."

They looked towards the man who was sitting up in bed, one hand touching the sword and the other gripping the dictionary as he silently mouthed the words. "He's already more than half-way through and has learnt way more words from us in two days then Kisame and Suigetsu could in little less in a week!"

"The only way I can explain it is the man is a nin, like your son." Both parents looked surprised "Really? You think so?"

"I do" the Doctor nodded seriously "If this keeps up, he'll be up and around in a few days. Meanwhile keep him seated and give him plenty of water and food. I'll be back next week to check on the man's progress, but other than that, there's nothing else I can do. He seems to have his pain and healing pretty much under control."

Days later Naruto found the skinny man on his way to the toilet. He frowned "Should you be up?" The man smiled gently at him and said softly "It is fine, my friend. I only wish to take what your father calls an whiz." Naruto laughed at this and said, "You mean a toilet break." And the man smiled again "of course. I cannot stay in bed and continue to expect your parents to wait on me all the time. I wish to start doing things for myself."

"And you want to see your son" Naruto said, correctly reading the rest of his unspoken words. The man nodded "yes. Where is he? Kisame says he is fine, but I wish to see for myself."

"I understand" Naruto smiled "he's in mother and fathers' room with Obito."

"Obito. Is he your...um..."

"Brother" Naruto supplied and shook his head "No. He's just someone we're looking after, for a friend until he comes back" Something unreadable came into the boys' eyes as the other asked "And when will this friend return?"

"I don't know" Naruto admitted "he's been gone a year. I don't think he'll come back." Although Itachi could see that the boy didn't want to continue to talk about it, he had to ask "And is he the father?"

"No" Naruto said bluntly "He couldn't have kids, he was an loner and being hunted by someone. Giving Obito to us was his only way of saving him from his life, to give him a full and safe life. He MIGHT come back when he's finally safe, but I doubt it."

Itachi said nothing else, so after an uncomfortable pause Naruto asked him softly "Where are you all from? Father and mother and I have been wondering, but we couldn't figure it out, why you are so strangely dressed and couldn't speak English, well, until now. I thought you were all actors, but you can't be."

"We did not know how to explain before, but if you find your father while I check on Sasuke, I will try to." Naruto nodded and they separated. Itachi found Kushina in their room, bottle-feeding his son with formula and rocking him slowly while she hummed a lullaby her now crippled father had taught her. She in turn had taught it to Naruto and was now teaching the two babies.

As Itachi limped in she looked up and smiled, gaining a smile back and nodding to the bed beside her. He sat, hurt leg stretched out and sheathed sword leaning against his good leg. Gently Kushina handed the feeding baby over to its father while not disturbing the boy, bottle and all. Itachi took his son, not looking up from his child's suckling mouth and closed eyes. His red eyes widened slightly when one of the babies hands curled around his finger and held it.

"He is strong," he said softly and Kushina spoke as she picked up Obito and another bottle "Most healthy babies are. You should have seen Naruto at this age, eyrh. I would feed him and put him down, but instead of crying if he didn't want me to leave he'd just grip me and not let go. Now that I think of it, Naruto never cried as a baby."

"Is that normal?"

"No, it's not. But Narutos' a nin, he was born smarter and more intelligent than some people. Even then he just didn't want to cry, even though he cooed and laughed and gurgled like most babies. I think I only saw him cry twice, when Kakashi left and again only recently."

"When?" Itachi asked curiously.

"About six months ago there was an huge earth quake, It changed this world as we know it. Many were killed, countries sank, new once raised, so on. My mother and father were in a car when this happened. My mother was killed instantly, my father crippled. My father lived for my mother and ONLY for her, so when he found out he many times tried to kill himself to be with her after life.

After her funeral, Naruto spent ten minutes alone with him and then disappeared. When we went in to see father he was crying brokenly, but no longer wanted to kill himself. I found Naruto in here, over there" she nodded at a dark corner near the bed "hiding his face in his knees and curled up, crying brokenly. I knew he was close to my mother and it was the last time I've seen him cry. He disappears every day for an hour or so and even though I don't know what he does, I know he doesn't cry."

I understand," he said softly. Kushina watched him with his son for a few minutes and then asked him gently "You've lost her, haven't you? You're wife I mean."

"Yes," he nodded sadly, not looking up "How could you tell?"

"The way you look at your son, as if you're seeing her in him. Father used to look at me like that sometimes. When I asked him why he'd say `you look so much like your mother'. It's called melancholy. Tell me about her." Itachi spoke softly, gold eyes watering "I had known Rin since we were children, we were in love since we first met and she was the only one I could ever love like that." He sniffed and told her what happened.

"We were ambushed in a clearing and my love and Karin-that is Kisame's wife-were overpowered. They grabbed our sons, and took off. I wanted to stay with her, but Kisame started to drag me away, saying the boys were more important then. Although part of me knew he was right I fought him. I shall never forgive myself for leaving her there, alone, to die." He sniffed again and tears slid unbidden down his cheeks "I know Kisame is as grieved as I. I do not think Suigetsu realises what it means yet."

"You mean he's in shock?"

"No, I think he thinks she is alive and waiting for us to return. That she will be there, waiting, with open arms. I do not think it has sunk in yet that we are stuck here with no way back and she will not be there waiting for us. I do not think he believes even his father when he says she is dead."

"Denial" Kushina nodded "I went through it when mother died. It'll hit him soon. As for your wife you shouldn't blame yourself for leaving her. You couldn't have helped her and the boys' WERE more important, there was no telling what those people could have done to them. Any delay and the trail could have gone cold."

"I COULD have helped her" he said softly "I have Justu's..."

"Jutsu's" Kushina looked at him funny "You mean you ARE a nin?" A sudden thought hit her "Of course! It explains everything, especially where you're from and how you learn so fast! The Doctor thinks you're a nin like Naruto, but it explains your existence and the existence of all things like Wizards. Medieval Nins!' Although Itachi didn't understand he nodded and Kushina went on "What's your name? I mean other than Itachi? And what about your son?"

"I am Itachi Uchiha, and my sons is Sasuke. Kisame and Suigetsu's are Hoshigaki. Rin was Abrahume and Karin's was Matio."

"Maiden name?" she asked curiously and he looked startled at her with a "what?" to which she explained "When we marry here we share the mans' last name. Like my maiden name was Uzamaki, and now I've married Minato it's Namikaze."

"We did not do that" he shook his head. "Then how could you tell someone was married? Anyone could wear rings" and she nodded to the gold engraved band around one of the thin fingers on his good hand. "You have a point." Kushina changed the subject then "how old is Sasuke?"

"Twelve months old" he answered to which she said softly "Like Obito." Itachi hesisted before he asked the next question, as if unsure he should ask at all "Naruto told me about you minding him for a friend but he seemed reluctant to say to much, why?"

"Because Kakashi, that's the friend, was Narutos' first real adult friend and they were incredibly close. When Kakashi left to protect Naruto he was hurt more than he'll admit. Also the not hearing from him and not knowing if he's alive or dead makes it all the more terrible." Itachi nodded slowly and said in a gentle and sympathetic voice "I understand."

"Have you ever held your own son before?" Kushina asked him curiously when he shifted him awkwardly in his arm and he answered her "No. That is a woman's job where we come from, raising a child." Kushina smiled at this "I understand. Especially if I'm right about your origan."

"Where?" he asked curiously and Kushina frowned at him "We call it medieval times, our past. History. Way; way; way back." Itachi looked at her "You mean we have been teleported forward into the future?"

"Looks like it," she answered softly.

"Where Naruto?" Suigetsu asked later on, interrupting a sparse conversation between his father and Minato. "You mean where IS Naruto, Suigetsu. I wouldn't know where he is. He always disappears about this time of day, or haven't you noticed?"

"Naruto might hurt..." Suigetsu started, but Minato interrupted with "Might BE hurt. You're forgetting your is and bes'. My son can take care of himself, Suigetsu. He's been doing so long before you arrived. He's off meditating, or whatever it is he does." Suigetsu frowned and Minato could tell the boy didn't believe him. Before he could speak again the boy had spun on his heel to go and seek out his new friend.

Not fifteen minutes later Kushina, Minato and Kisame were in the parent's room, watching the two babies sleep when Suigetsu called them urgently from downstairs. Curious the three came down to find him with an unconscious Naruto, attempting to carry him through the doorway, his face beaten and blood specked him.

Minato and Kushina gasped in horror, the man took his son from the boy, and they headed for the boys' room. Suigetsu and Kisame followed and conversed in their language, which Itachi had told them was called Kohona, after their birth world and time.

As the worried man laid his son on the bed, Kushina examined and patched cuts and rubbing cream on already forming bruises Kisame spoke to them in halting English, explaining. "Suigetsu say he find Naruto bound to tree and two men beating him. He stopped them and fights them off. They flee and he bring him back."

"Thank god he did, there's no telling what could have happened." Kushina sighed and Kisame frowned at her "You know who these men are?" Kushina nodded seriously "we have an idea, Kisame. We borrowed money off a Loan Shark, a man who loans money. But we weren't able to pay him back when he wanted-and still can't. So he's hired men to scare us." Her eyes were wide as she gently looked up at them "But we had no idea they'd do this to us. They would have killed Naruto just to warn us if Suigetsu hadn't have stopped them."

"Naruto be all right?" Suigetsu asked in concern "They hurt him, even though he fight well." Kushina answered him, frowning in fear and concern, "They don't fight like you or us Suigetsu. They play dirty."

"In mud?" the boy frowned in confusion but she shook her head "No. It means they are sneaky. They probably snuck up behind him and knocked him out before he could fight back and tied him up. They then waited until he woke up and then started to beat him."

When Naruto came too later he confirmed it. "They said they were going to kill me to punish you for not paying them back the money." Itachi spoke softly to him "You do not seem horrified or scared at this thought."

"I was once attacked by a guy and attacked in a way you can't imagine" Naruto said to him. "And what he did to me is terrifying compared to that. A beating then quick death, that's merciful."

"You are brave and mature for your age" Itachi said. "When I was your age I was just beginning to see my own mortality." Naruto just shrugged "We all die, only the how and when is different. No one can live forever and a few can only try to draw it out."

A few days later the Loan Shark struck again. Someone drove into their property, throwing a flaming bottle of alcohol into the barn where Suigetsu was teaching Naruto a few of his moves and Naruto was teaching him some of his karate moves. The straw quickly caught fire along with one wall.

As the two boys started shooing the animals out Naruto was struck on the shoulder by a piece of flaming wood and falling. Suigetsu grabbed his friends' arm and practically dragged him with him. Minato and Kushina were outside and attempting to put out the fire with water from the well, but one look at Itachi's concentrated frozen face and Kisame shooed them away.

They protested of course, confused, but obeying because they sensed something strange going on. A look came into Itachi's eyes, a look of power as his red eyes starting to glow. So did his swords cyrstal.

The man's thin lips started to move, silent words in another language and the look of power increasing. He suddenly flashed through hand positions and slowly the water rose from the well, inside an invisible globe of power. It hovered above the barn and suddenly dropped, dousing the flames.

The power faded and Kushina and Naruto cheered, the boy gripping his shoulder in pain. Itachi; Kisame and Suigetsu all smiled, glad to help their friends. But Minato was the first to calm them when he said seriously "Look at the barn, it's ruined."

"Can't you fix it, Minato?" Kushina asked. "Not with what money we have left. We have barely enough to feed the animals and ourselves as it is. To pay for petrol for the car and tractor, let alone the wood; nails; excreta needed for this job."

"What about Kisame's coins? Have you taken them to the antique evaluator yet? If they're really from the time I think, they should be worth quiet a bit as collectors items." Minato sighed "I go back to the guy tomorrow. Just pray it's enough, or we'll loose everything." To which Kushina nodded seriously.

Kisame; Suigetsu; Minato and Naruto spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up what was left of the barn, while Kushina cooked Itachi read fore he was still not fully recovered.

"Kushina, you're not going to believe me, but that money Kisame gave us? Well it's so old and so rare they're giving us at least one thousand per coin for it! That's at least two hundred thousand dollars! Those guys are a blessing in disguise!" Kushina threw herself into her husband's arms in joy and relief with "That's great, Minato!" and for a long minute they just kissed, long and hard.

Suddenly they were interrupted by a young voice "Eyew, gross" and Suigetsu's sniggers. The two parents separated slightly, Minato smiling playfully "Of you go, Naruto, don't sticky-beak."

"Yes sir" Naruto grinned and the two boys left the room. When they were gone Minato looked at Kushina "That's means six thousand to pay off the loan shark, four thousand to do repairs and fix the fields so they produce, and one ninety still to spare!"

"You're right, Minato! Although I think we should use the rest on our new friends, after all it was THEIR money. They need identities and clothes and proper training, maybe their own place later. So on." She smiled at him "See what happens when you show someone kindness, you get it back tenfold! We have new friends who solved our problems for us and Naruto has a new and true friend! Someone to share his soul and all his little secrets with, someone as unusual as him and can treat as a brother. All this from helping someone in need." Minato smiled and nodded "I should listen to you more often."

"I know" Kushina nodded playfully " I keep telling you that for years." She grew serious "When are you getting the money and then paying off the Loan Shark?" Minato refused to be serious "I'll pick it up tomorrow and go straight there afterwards" continuing as he grinned at her "But right now I feel like celebrating."

"What do you mean?" Minato didn't answer, just sweeping her up in his arms and starting upstairs to their room. "Oh" Kushina blushed and smiled almost shyly in understanding "Don't Minato, not with everyone home. What if they hear us?"

"They're adults, they'll guess what we're doing and avoid the bedroom. Besides, they're busy. Naruto and Suigetsu are outside and Itachi and Kisame are playing with Obito and Sasuke." Kushina was intensely embarrassed about the thought of Itachi and Kisame hearing them making out, blushing deeper as they reached the door. "Not now Minato, later. When everyone's asleep."

"Now" he opened the door, closed it with his foot and laid her on the bed gently, his mouth lowering to her before she could protest again. His hand wandered under her loose blouse as his kiss deepened. Soon Kushinas' moans of pleasure floated down the hallway.

The next day, as he was about to leave, Itachi appeared behind Kushina and stopped him. "Wait my friend, I will come. These men are dangerous."

"Yes, too dangerous for you in your still hurt condition Itachi. Thanks anyway." Itachi slowly shook his head "I am healed and able to defend myself easily, my friend. It is YOU whom need the protection. I have faced more danger in my short life than anything you could imagine. I am coming."

Minato opened his mouth to protest, but Kushina looked at him pleadingly "Please Minato. Let him come." So the man sighed and said "All right. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"Never."

About three hours later they reached the building where the Loan Shark worked. Minato grabbed the case of money from the car and Minato glanced nervously at the guards, with Itachi close to his side he entered the building. Somehow the man\Nins' presence made him feel a little bit better.

Minato noticed as they walked the man was gripping his sword tightly, parted lips moving slightly as he readied a jutsu. Just in case. They found the man Minato wanted seated behind a desk, which stood and glared at him. "What do YOU want?"

Minato handed him the case "Here's the money I owe you plus five hundred dollars interest to stay away from us. Take it and leave us alone."

"Where did you get all this?" the man's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he took it from him. "None of your Damned business! Just take it and leave us alone!" With that Minato turned to go, but the man said softly "You owe us ten thousand, not six." He spun back and spluttered "WHAT! "

"Interest. You're seven months overdue. We want Ten thousand, not six. If you don't like it I may just have to call my guys out to your farm again, only THIS time they will have fun with your wife instead of your son." And Minato was so stuck at that point between fury and anger he was speechless.

"I thought so" Itachi said softly "No matter the century, these people are all the same." He stepped forward and caught the man's attention, his red eyes locking to the other hypnotically. The Loan Shark only managed "Who are yo..." before Itachi had clamped control over his mind.

"You will take the money" he said sternly "You shall take it happily and it shall prove enough for you. No longer shall you bother this family, or any of their members or decadents. You were just happy to help them and will never even CONSIDER doing anything to hurt them or endanger them again. Break." He blinked and looked away.

The mans' blank face immediately became friendly and happy, smiling at Minato and saying, "That's it, all done. You'll hear nothing more from us." Forcing his surprise and shock away Minato spoke "Good. Can we go now?" The man nodded, but then asked softly "Who's your friend?"

"Itachi. He and his warrior friend are staying with us a while. If you ever return or endanger us again, Kisame and he will stop you. Believe me when I say that'll cost you a lot of men and money."

You'll hear nothing more of us."

"Good." They headed for the car, the rest of the money safely hidden inside the boot. Minato asked Itachi softly as they walked "How'd you do that?"

"I do not know" Itachi shrugged "I have been able to do so since I was very young, even BEFORE I discovered my chakra."

So, for the next three years they stayed on the farm helping out with crops and excreta. The Namikaze's all taught their new friends about the strange and weird and wonderful world around them and how to act and appear as normal as everyone else.

When the four finally brought their own farm down the road from them they still stayed friends and close, even coming over to baby-sit Obito occasionally when the Namikaze's went out. That's how one day when Naruto was fifteen they came home from his school concert to find the place ransacked, all but Obito gone-hidden under a overturned chair-and blood on the floor.

While Kushina took Obito over to Haku's next door to sit, just in case, Minato and Naruto searched the place for intruders or clues. "Dad" Naruto said softly a few minutes later, standing up from behind the couch "This was under here." He held a map and return ticket to Leaf, Formally Africa.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the next chapter guys. Enjoy.

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Itachi awoke slowly, groggy. His eyelids fluttered as he forced them open cautiously.

As his red eyes adjusted to the dark he found himself bound and gagged inside a small tent and on a wooden chair. The stars were visible through the top of the tent, although raising his head that much caused his vision to swim.

For one long confused moment he didn't know where he was, but then he remembered. Two men had come to the door asking for Naruto. They had refused to listen when he said he wasn't there and had refused to answer his questions when he wanted to know who they were and why they wanted to see him.

The men had tried to force their way in and Itachi had used a jutsu to throw them out, but he had made the mistake of stepping outside to do so. He had felt a blow on the back of his head and had dropped, mind blaring with pain and concentration broken.

His last thought before he blacked out was to mentally child himself for being so stupid, AND for not closing the door after him. He had unwillingly given the men access to the house, to Kisame, Suigetsu and the two boys for that matter. Looking around his eyes set on a figure on the ground beside the chair, chained, gagged, but unconscious.

Kisame.

Where were the boys and Suigetsu? Were they safe, Suigetsu fleeing to safety with the boys or were they also captives, only away from them? Still looking at Kisame, Itachi had his answer. Suigetsu was a heroic and noble soul like his father, he would stay and fight, it wouldn't occur to him that the boys would be in danger.

Foolish, he should have thought of the boy's lives first. Not the thrill of battle and helping his father. Itachi's eyes creased in agony from his head and he groaned as the waves hit him with every slight movement.

But used to pain he just rode them, waiting for the strength to recover. Praying that they were all safe, Suigetsu; Obito and even Naruto-he prayed they hadn't hung around-if they were willing to do this just to get in, Itachi hated to think what they'd do to the young man. But most of all he prayed for Sasuke, prayed his son was alive and safe.

A sudden movement to his left brought his head around, pain lacing behind his eyes from the quick movement. The pain meant nothing as his eyes set on the shine of a raised metal knife sparkling in the torchlight.

With a flash the knife rose, then came down.

Creeping quietly from tent to tent he headed for one in particular. Wearing all black clothes his dark hair was straight and framing his fine-boned definitely attractive face. White eyes seemed to glow in the dark, a set of black gloves on the hands. His dark clothes and hair made him seem like nothing but a shadow.

Pulling a knife from his boot he slit open the back of the tent, creeping silently inside. And cursed silently. Instead of one man asleep on a camp bed-the man responsible for the deaths of many of his people-he found two men, one chained on the ground and the other tied to a chair. Both were unconscious.

The one on the chair had a bloody wound on the back of his head, long stringy black hair mattered with it, strange lines from either side of his nose leading to the start of the cheeks, highlighting the nose shape, pale and obviously suffering damaged skull as well as blood-loss. He could tell by the man's hoarse and rasping breaths, the sweat beading his high cheeks and thin but pale face. He wore dark blue denim, black leather shoes and a black cloak with red clouds bunched up around him.

His gaze fell to the man on the floor. Huge he was covered in muscles and bulging out of his dark green shirt with torn sleeves; dark green trousers; white sneakers and socks and shoulder length black straight hair.

Suddenly the man on the chairs breathing cut off and he stirred, raising his head and slowly forcing his eyes open. He looked around and saw the man on the floor, looked to the other side and he could barely hold back a gasp as he saw the man's eyes. They were red with pupils baring three commas. He looked up, but that didn't do him any good as his head dropped and he moaned behind the gag.

He made a decision and moved silently forward. But he obviously wasn't quiet enough, for the head turned towards him and saw the raised knife.

With one movement he brought the weapon down in a curve.

And the man's bonds dropped from him. One thin hand reached up to pull away the gag and as soon as it was gone he spoke softly, nodding when he put a finger to his lips for quiet. His voice was weak and rasping, but soft and curiously soothing as he did "Thank you. Who are you?"

He pulled a name out of thin air "Hizashi Hyuuga. Let's get you out of here." The thin man motioned to the huge man on the ground, who was now starting to stir "Not without Kisame."

"We may not have time," he hissed but the man was unfazed. "I will not leave without him. Besides, you cannot hope to get me out alone in my condition. I am more than just a little dizzy." He cursed when he realised the man was right. He found the keys on the table near the back and as silently as he could he undid the clanking chains to free him. The man's cold black eyes glared at him and he rose with steps light as a dancer for his bulk.

The man tore away his gag and moved to the thin mans' side, eyes softening to concern when he saw his condition and helped him up. Whispering softly he asked in concern "Itachi? Are you all right?"

"Not now, old friend" the thin man said to him, wincing in pain "I am in no condition to talk. We must flee before we are discovered, or our saviour here would have freed us for nothing."

"What about the boys!" he protested softly and the other man spoke weakly "Think a minute, my friend. What good are we to them, am I to them?"

"You've been through worse" the man winced to which the man smiled gently "I know, but right now I can not remember such an occasion. I need to sleep and heal Kisame, and until I am better we are no use to the boys. If we are recaptured we may not get another chance. We will better serve the boys free."

The man couldn't argue with that, so didn't speak. To close the matter the thin man added, "Do you wish to endanger our saviour here? He endangers himself by freeing us instead of just leaving us, the least we can do is try and get out without any trouble."

"All right Itachi" the man nodded grudgingly, looking up at him "Lead the way." Nodding he lead them to the back of the tent, the strong man nearly carrying his friend when suddenly a guard noticed them trying to reach the bushes and shouted, firing as he did.

Breaking into a run 'Hizashi' and the strong man headed for the bushes, 'Hizashi' feeling a hot stinging pain on his arm, but too busy running to worry about it. They hid in some bushes and waited, guards coming closer, both men tensing to fight. But the tall man stopped them "wait. Let me."

"But you can't Itachi! You're hurt!" The big man protested softly in concern "I can and I have been in worse shape than this, let me." Reluctantly both agreed.

Hizashi watched the mans' strange eyes close and he started mumbling words he had heard before a long time ago and never expected to hear again, he was shocked this strange man knew and understood it, his hands moving in signs he recognized. After a few seconds the three started to fade, to become invisible and he had no time to speak as the bushes were pulled apart and a guard looked in.

Obviously seeing nothing he left.

When the coast was clear the three slowly became visible again and Itachi, his movements having opened his cut on the back of his head, slumped forward weakly. He could no longer hold back the pain and weakness and it hit him like a tidal wave.

"Itachi!" Kisame gasped as he caught the man, eyes concerned and wide with horror as he sat the man up. The tall mans' eyes were screwed up in agony and he gave off a short, sharp groan. Hizashi examined him. "He needs a Doctor, he's lost a lot of blood." Kisame nodded and the other man continued, "I know just the place, can you carry him?"

"Of course" Kisame answered and he stood "All clear, come on."

Five hours later a large jet plane landed in a clearing in the jungle. Two figures climbed out. A teenager about fifteen with short blonde hair spiked around his head, three slashes on each cheek and warm, humorous eyes of blue. Wearing ankle-high black leather boots with dark blue denim jeans, black leather jacket edged in orange and light blue shirt. With him was a man of about thirty-five with short blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a dark green shirt and dark blue denim jeans with a jacket and white socks, white sneakers.

They were Minato and Naruto Namikaze; friends of Itachi and Kisame and here to find their friends and if necessary help them.

The two were only an hour into the jungle when they found themselves surrounded by armed natives who lead them to a great wooden hut in the centre of a large village.

There lit by flame torches and seated on an great throne carved of marble, his German Shepherd protector by his side and clothed in light green and black calf-hugging knee-high leather boots was Hizashi Hyuuga. A swab of bandages was around his left arm.

As they were pushed inside roughly the dog looked up alertly and started growling threateningly at them. The jungle leader spoke out "I am the ruler of this land you have trespassed on. Who are you and why do you enter this forbidden area?"

Naruto looked at his father and recognised the blank expression as his father cover. He was angry so he spoke out courteously before his father could "I'm sorry, sir, we didn't know. You see we are here looking for some friends who were grabbed from home a few days ago. Maybe you or your people have seen them?"

"What do outsiders have to do with me? Common folk have nothing to do with me or my followers."

"These people aren't common, sir. Two adults and a boy my age with a child, wearing black cloaks with clouds. The child and one man have red eyes and the boy and other man are muscular-warriors." Hizashi looked at him funny "Are their names Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha and Kisame and Suigetsu?"

"Yes! You've seen them! Where are they?" Naruto looked relieved and excited at the same time. Hizashi spoke, answered him "The two men are safe, with the local village doctor in the nearest outsider colony but the boy and child are still missing. Who are you?"

"I'm Naruto and this is my father Minato." Hizashi frowned, disturbed and in concern at this "You shouldn't be here."

"What do you mean?" he asked and the jungle ruler answered with "Before I took your friends to the doctor they told me about why they were grabbed. The men who did so wanted YOU." Naruto squeaked at this "ME? Why?"

"They don't know. Only they asked for you and when they refused to let them in, they forced their way in. Have you any enemies?" Before he could answered Minato spoke out "Naruto's only fifteen, he's too young to have enemies."

"No one is too young" Hizashi said to him, but Minato only glared at him. When Naruto couldn't answer him Hizashi rose, motioning the armed natives away and the dog to quiet. He spoke again "I will take you to your friends in the morning, but for now you are my guests." Naruto sensed his father about to speak but turned to say quietly before he could "Father I trust him. I don't know why but I do. I get the sense he doesn't lie."

"But he could be the kidnappers boss Naruto, or someone working for them at least. Why trust him?"

"Because you are too paranoid father. I believe my senses, and they tell me to trust him. Please, you may not, but at least humour me. At least until we find Suigetsu and the others." Minato looked into his sons eyes then slowly nodded "All right. But only because you wish to, Naruto."

"Thank you, father" Naruto said softly, looking back to the village ruler.

Three hours later as it was getting dark they sat down for a meal of fruit and nuts and cooked deer meat. Hizashi found himself enjoying Naruto's company immensely.

The boy was active almost to the point of hyper-activity; funny but serious at the same time as well as trustful and trustworthy. Not only did Hizashi find himself trusting the boy easily but Phantom his horse and Akamaru his dog, both hand reared to accept ONLY him seemed to like and trust the boy immediately. This only convinced Hizashi more of his purely good intentions.

Both the boy and village ruler became close friends in a matter of hours and when the boy finally retired to his cot and hut for the night Hizashi was disappointed to see him go. However when father and son were gone Hizashi couldn't stop the sneaking suspicion something was going to happen to the boy within the next few hours. Having long ago learnt to listen to his instincts the man led Akamaru to the path a few feet from his hut, setting him there as guard duty.

Then he retired to his own hut to wait. Sure enough later that night Akamarus' urgent barking awaked both Hizashi and Minato.

Naruto awoke suddenly. The warrior instincts Suigetsu's training having breed into him alerted him to movement nearby. At first he thought it was only a villager going past his hut, then strong hands held him down and a foul-smelling cloth was placed over his mouth and nose.

Trying not to breath in he thrashed about in their grips, trying to get a hand free so he could grab something. Those instincts he tried not to show that cringed at being touched, that he had had since he was nine tried to surface, trying to force him to just give up control and struggle blindly. But his mind forced it down. This was a time for rational thinking and not all-out panic.

But it was getting difficult to think and his vision was getting cloudy as his limbs lost strength, to feel as though he was underwater. His last clear thought was of what the village ruler had said; about the people who had the boys had wanted him. Well now they did.

Both Minato and Hizashi headed for the boys hut. Finding it empty except for one white man that the dog had cornered and the bed empty. Minato ignored the dog and picked the man off the ground by his shirt front. Snarling in his face he asked, "WHERE'S MY SON?!" The man's face was terrified so getting information from him would be easy. He stuttered out "Pain, Pain's got him! I don't know where they took him!"

"Liar!" Minato snarled, shaking the man roughly. "It's the truth man!" the man cried out "I don't know! If we were separated we were to meet in a clearing nearby! We were only supposed to grab the boy; we could then get paid and leave! That's the truth!"

"Why does he want the boy?" Hizashi asked the man, face showing he wouldn't tolerate being lied to. "I don't know!" and when Minato went to shake him again he quickly added, "All I know is the boy's suppose to be a nin. The guy wants young nins for something he says will give him power to take over the world. Anything else I don't know, I swear!"

Hizashi frowned thoughtfully and Minato spoke "but Suigetsu and Sasuke are human, not nins."

"They were grabbed for convenience! The child was born from an nin, so Pain thinks he's one too!"

"Hinata isn't a nin" Hizashi spoke out to the man "why would your boss want my daughter?"

Minato looked at the man in shock, no wonder he was being so helpful! As well as this man having Itachi and Kisame's sons he also had the village rulers daughter! "She's genetically unique, Pain says" the man said, noticing Minatos' grip was now slack with surprise.

Before anyone could speak again he had tore himself away from his grip and moved to attack Minato, to knock him away and make his escape. However as he moved to attack Minato spun and kicked him hard in the shins, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse.

"Idiot" Minato growled, pulling the man to his feet. He snapped "you're going to meet this guy and get your money, with no implications of being watched or followed. You'll ask to see the boy first so I know my sons alive. They you'll take your money and leave never to return, understand?"

The man nodded, face twisted in pain. Hizashi spoke out "if you do anything that makes us THINK you're warning them, I'll kill you and feed you to Akamaru for lunch." One look at the still snarling dog and Hizashi's angry expression and the man had no doubts he would do just that.

They reached the clearing in time and while Hizashi and Minato hid in the bushes as close as possible without risk of discovery the man walked towards the group. Once man looked at him suspiciously and walked towards him "I thought you were captured."

"I was, but they left an stupid guard and I killed him and escaped. Nothing can keep me from that money. Where is it?" Pain looked at him long and hard for a minute then handed him a leather briefcase. After checking the contents the man nodded, satisfied "Where's the boy?"

"Why?" Pain asked suspiciously and the man answered with "I want to see if he was worth the money and the man I killed."

The leader seemed to understand and motioned behind him. Two men carried an unconscious Naruto into the light, pale, his wrists tied with steel wire, cutting into his flesh and drawing blood. But otherwise he seemed unharmed. Minato moved to get his son back but Hizashi stopped him "no, don't. We'll follow where they take him. They may lead us to the other boys and Hinata."

Minato glared at him, and the man sighed at it "look. If you go barreling in there now they have a better chance of shooting you down then you have of rescuing them, look how many there is of them and we may never have a better chance of finding the other captives, THINK!" The blonde man hesitated then nodded reluctantly.

But they lost the group not long after the boy was tied into a cage with three others and it was loaded onto a truck. Hizashi assured Minato they would find them again, now that he knew what they were looking for they wouldn't escape him. His people populated the entire jungle, and they would look out for them. "What if they don't see them?"

"They will" Hizashi said gravely "my people will definitely look out for them and tell me when and if, I promise you."

"Naruto!" Suigetsu gasped as the boy was tied in their cage. "You know this boy?" Hinata asked softly. Suigetsu nodded "yeah, this was who they were after when we were grabbed. I have known him three years. He is my best friend. But what is he doing here?"

Sasuke spoke out, voice trembling in fear, but also in hope "Maybe he and Uncle Minato came to save us and he got grabbed." Suigetsu nodded "looks like."

Two hours later Naruto stirred awake. He was dizzy and his head pounded like a drum, he felt like throwing up, but he was relieved to find he wasn't gagged, only tied. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself tied to an thick steel bar with wire, two other figures watching him closely that were definitely familiar. The other was female but also a near identical twin of the village leader.

The older boy spoke to him once he saw he was awake "are you all right Naruto?" Naruto pressed his eyes tightly shut again, pursed his lips to stop himself being sick and after a few minutes he managed "no, they used Chloroform" when he felt it was safe.

"What is Chloroform?" Suigetsu asked and Naruto sighed tiredly when he realised that he would have to explain it to his friend. "It's a sedative the old doctors used to use on their patients. They stopped using it when they found something better without side effects."

"What sort of side affects, Naruto?"

"Just what I have now. A head-ache and the urge to throw up what ever is in my stomach" Naruto gulped violently as he forced it back down again "don't worry, I'll be fine. It'll just take a while to wear off. Whoever these guys are they knew what they were doing, that I wasn't immune to this. If they had of used an sedative normal to our time then I would have just felt sick, instead of blacking out."

"Naruto" Sasuke said softly, the tremble in his voice catching his attention and causing him to open his eyes. "Is my daddy okay? They said they killed him and Uncle Kisame. Did they?" Naruto shook his head, and immediately regretted it "no, they're fine, Sas. Your dad and Kisame are at the local doctors. You daddy just has a bad head-ache and blood-loss and Kisame's watching over him, but they're fine except that."

"Thank god" Sasuke sighed. Suigetsu spoke out "Naruto this is Hinata, Hinata this is our friend Naruto Namikaze. Naruto, Hinata's father is..." To which the boy interrupted through gulps of nausea "Hizashi, ruler of the tribe called Hyuuga, I know."

"How?" both the girl and other boy asked through confusion and the other boy answered, head lowered in sickness "Well for a start he was the guy who rescued Itachi and Kisame from the men and second I knew he wouldn't be helping father and I without some reason other than us being in his land. You look incredibly alike."

The girl murmured something they didn't understand and squirmed on her spot, uncomfortable for some reason. Sasuke spoke again, showing his fear by using his and Obito's nickname for Naruto. "What are they going to do with us, Naru?" Naruto forced his eyes open and looked at the boy straight in the eyes "I don't know" softly, honestly.

An hour later, when the effects of the liquid had fully worn off two men appeared. They untied Naruto and dragged him out of the cage. "NO!" Sasuke cried, fearing the separation and what they might do to his 'Big Brother'. Suigetsu threw himself forward to try and stop them and to help his best friend, but only succeed in getting hit on the head for his trouble. He was stunned long enough for them to lock the cage door and drag the struggling boy out of their sight. Sasuke started to cry in fear and innocent horror, concern for the bare-teenager who had almost raised him himself.

A day later they were moving again, but saw neither hide-nor-hair of their friend. Even Suigetsu's questions going ignored and unanswered.

Three nights later they reached an old ruined temple. There, during the full moon the three captives were gagged and shoved in a corner, almost forgotten except for a single guard.

Halfway through they brought in Narutos drugged body, dressed in a long white robe, with a red sash around the waist and sandals with laces done up knee-high. There was two slashes in the back of the robe either side of the boy's spine vertically, writing in the language of chakra scratched bloody into the back.

They tied him to the altar below the skylight and stood back and away. Before they did Sasuke got a good look at the symbols and his eyes widened in horror as he read and understood the language his father was teaching to him. The same one his father wanted him to know as a second language. He made a cry from behind the gag and started to struggle against his bonds, desperately terrified for his 'Big Brothers' life and soul. But he was as helpless as Naruto was himself. The man Pain appeared with an ancient-looking jutsu book and stepped towards the altar. Opening it to the page he started to read something arcane.

Suddenly the moonlight lit up Naruto's form, intensifying the longer the man spoke. The longer he went the more Narutos' body seemed to be affected, starting to react to the summoned foreign chakra. Usually it was a delicately woven web of words and chakra, but cheapened and evil because of Pain using it.

At first Naruto's body started shaking, then became convulsions. His body fought against the ropes. Then suddenly his eyes flew open, mouth open in a soundless scream with lips peeled back. His body started to change.

The other three captives could only watch in helpless horror as Narutos' incisor teeth grew longer and sharply pointed they curved in like snake fangs while his finger and toes nails becoming longer and sharper, curved like cat-claws, blue eyes going red and cat-like. The short blonde hair became a long mass of black; skin paling to almost bleached white. Out of the marks on his back pushed a huge pair of black wings of membrane-and-bone, bat wings.

The creature that had been Naruto broke free of the ropes with a swipe of the claws and took to the air, circling above them and screeching angrily like a wild animal. Pain screamed at the thing "stop, ninkin! I command you to stop! I am your master and you WILL obey me!"

The creature ignored him; he had seen the captives and flew towards them. With what could only be described as an aerial feet he had freed the three with a swipe of claws, pulled the door of the cage from its hinges. Grabbing Sasuke he flipped over in mid-air, heading for the skylight before Suigetsu knew what was happening.

There was a sudden thunder-clap sound and the ninkin stopped. Its arm was bleeding and face twisted in pain, blood a curious light red colour. With another flip it had ripped the gun from the man's grip and knocked him away, flipped a third time and heading back to the skylight again.

Before anyone else could react further he, and Sasuke, were gone.

Kushina and Minato Namikaze, Hizashi Hyuuga and about ten natives watched the strange creature. It wore only a white robe with an red sash and sandals, bearing what appeared to be huge bat wings from it's back-on either side of the spine they were limp and he looked exhausted and frightened, wincing every time it moved it's left arm.

When it moved to face the pool in front of it revelled it's arm, light red blood just below the shoulder. At a closer look they saw a wound, small and circular. Kushina and the others started to whisper softly, trying to decide what to do.

Finally they agreed with Kushina. She would try to befriend it and see if it was intelligent, but if it proved to be some sort of new and more dangerous predator they would catch it and kill it painlessly.

So Kushina rose and slowly approached it.

Whatever it was it looked like a male about fifteen, but what was it? Was it some sort of mutation from the Great Quake? Or maybe some sort of Nin like Naruto only gone wild, rejected by his family for his looks-or maybe orphaned like Obito had been.

As she got closer it looked up and saw her, dropping the trout it had been eating raw and backing away the right hand was clutched to the wound as it growled low and deep, lips peeled back to reveal fanged teeth with glistened with the fishes blood.

Kushina spoke softly and soothingly as she approached it, hands out to show she was unarmed "it's okay I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you. Let me look at your arm. Stop that!" To her surprise he obeyed her, dropping to the ground beside the lake and picking the trout up again. He let her come over and examine the wound; head sideways like a bird would, staring at her closely. Something was in the red cat-like eyes she couldn't understand-recognition.

He looked up from her and started to growl again, Kushina looking around to see Minato and the others approaching. She gently laid a hand on his arm and said softly "Don't be afraid. They won't harm you, I promise. Do you understand?"

He nodded, but continued to watch the men suspiciously as Kushina turned back to the wound. She gasped in shock "this is a bullet wound! How did you get this!" The creature watched her silently for a few more seconds then leaned over and wrote jaggedly in the dirt with a claw _"Pain shoot"_ and _"would not obey him."_

"Why not?" She asked and he looked at her in reproach _"evil man"_ he wrote, wincing as he accidentally jarred the wound. "You're right about him being evil. What's your name and what are you? A nin or something else."

"_Else"_ he wrote _"Name Fugaku, am Ninkin. One who does not belong."_

"Ninkin? What do you mean-does not belong?"

"_Does not belong. Dead. Dead."_ Was all he would answer with despite her questions. She finally gave up and sighed "Okay Why did he want you?"

"_Weapon. Know about life after death, have power."_

"What power? How did you get here, Fugaku?"

"_Flew"_ was all he would answer with, shaking in shock and horror and some painful memory only he knew. "Fugaku, Pain has our children. Could you take us to where they are?" The creature nodded and rose, keeping a close eye on the males. He stretched his wings and examined them closely, top to bottom. Kushina saw they were dirty and cut along the top and for just a brief minute she was almost hypnotized by the patterns of veins in the thin membrane.

He suddenly winced and pulled a long and thin splinter of wood from the flesh near the fifth finger. Before they could react he had dived into the lake, disappearing below the waters. But he was back three minutes later, climbing out and shaking himself dry before going back to examining the wings.

This time they were clean and not as badly damaged as before, with all the blood and dirt gone. He turned, as if bored and about to go when Kushina called out in a voice pleading "Fugaku! Please, take us to the children!" He frowned at her, disturbed by something. "PLEASE Fugaku" she said softer, voice begging "I want to get my son back, take me to the children."

He nodded slowly and approached her. Grabbing her around the waist, a flap of the huge wings and he took to the air with Kushina in his arms. She gasped in surprise and shock.

One native raised a bow and arrow at the creature, but Minato turned to Hizashi "Stop him! If he hits it they'll land hard and Kushina will be hurt! Besides, it's not its fault it took Kushina literally. She said take ME to the children. Let them go, Kushina will find a way to tell us where she is!"

Hizashi lay a hand on the natives bow, pushing it down towards the ground. "No" He said in the village tongue "spread the word to my people and the Shijus'. I wish to know where the bird-boy nests." The native nodded and followed by the others left them.

"Please put me down, Fugaku!" Kushina begged him "Where are you taking me?" But he couldn't answer her, so continued to fly. The mouth was a thin line of determination, huge wings flapping on either side of them as the wind they created musing Kushina's hair.

Soon they reached a huge stone temple and hovered over a skylight. He pointed down inside with his bloody arm at two tied and gagged figures. "My god Suigetsu! And that must be Hizashi's daughter Hinata!" Kushina exclaimed, then frowned "But where's Naruto and Sasuke?"

Fugaku frowned also and pointed at a figure in the corner, talking to some men there. "That must be Pain" Kushina said and he nodded, landing on the flat roof and putting her down. He looked around alertly and fearfully before Kushina caught his attention and looked him deep in the eyes and asked longingly "help them, Fugaku. Free them please. They are my friends and will be yours as well if you help them."

To her surprise he spoke, voice thick as if out of practise and chirpy like a birds but words. "Frwends? Be fwrends?" Kushina nodded. So Fugaku rose and spread his wings, soaring up into the sky and folding his wings. Diving through the skylight he opened them to catch himself and flapped them, heading for the two teenagers.

Once he appeared a cry went up "There he is! I knew he would return! Catch him so I can complete the jutsu!"

Although Fugaku was obviously terrified he wanted to do what Kushina asked him. With one quick scoop, claws out and ready he freed the two from their ropes before heading for the men. He started to cause a distraction so the two could escape. "Suigetsu!" Kushina called down, leaning over the skylight. He looked up and saw her, crying her name back "Kushina! What are you...?"

"Fugaku brought me. Where is Naruto and Sasuke?" she called back and he answered with a frown "HE took Sasuke, he is an Ninkin."

"I know that, he told me. But what's a Ninkin?" She asked and before he could answer there came a high-pitched screech of fury and Suigetsu was struck from behind, stunned long enough to allow two men to hold him down while another retied and gagged him. Now Fugaku was fleeing. He had caused a long enough distraction and it wasn't his fault they hadn't used it. He was almost out of the skylight when a rope lasso landed around his legs, pulling tight.

Another landed around his wrists while another around his neck. He struggled in terror against them while making chocking noises, tied wrists pulling at the one around his neck with eyes wide in fear. Kushina leaned down further and strained to reach his hands with eyes wide-affected by his terror, but unable to even touch fingertips.

Fugaku hovered, beating his wings to stay airborne and trying desperately to free himself, Pain stepped forward and started to recite the jutsu again. Kushina was suddenly thrown back as a strong shaft of moonlight funnelled through the skylight, hitting the Ninkin fully and bathing him in it's powerful chakra. Fugaku's scream of fear and panic shook the temple to its very foundations.

Kushina leaned back down and watched in helpless horror as he started to change. Clawed nails and fanged incisors lengthened. Wings extended, growing larger and longer and blacker. To her shock a long tail burst out from just above his buttocks in the centre, ripping through the robe and covered in the blood and flesh the same it had pushed through as it grew from his skeleton-the base of the spine and ending in a very sharp looking triangular barb.

With a chocked cry of terror and pain Fugaku's body heaved once and the tail lashed out, slicing through all three ropes. Free the boy\creature flew up out of the skylight and grabbed Kushina around the waist again, flying away from the temple as fast as he could. He was in pain and exhausted, but too terrified to stop.

The last thing Kushina heard from the temple was the man Pain's scream of rage.

About fifteen minutes later they reached a deep mountain range. A cave-entrance up high was in one, only a thin path for access. Fugaku flew inside and put her down, landing next to her and his wings drooping on either side. On hands and knees and panting heavily he seemed like a ghost, fading in and out. She moved closer in concern and fear "Fugaku? What is it, what's happening to you!"

Moving to his knees Fugaku reached up for his wound. With two clawed fingers he dug into the flesh, pulling out the bullet and throwing it across the room before collapsing weakly into her arms. Just before he lost consciousness he managed to point into a dark corner and shakily murmur "Frwend." Curious Kushina gently laid him down and went to look. Halfway she slowed and gasped in horror "My god! Sasuke!"

Two days later, early in the morning, Hizashi and Minato entered the cave cautiously. They first thing they heard was a familiar female voice crying out in fear "Fugaku, what are you doing?! You can't possibly protect us both in your condition! Let's get out of here, Fugaku, Don't!"

The two men exchanged looks and Minato mouthed the words "Both of us?" Rushing inside and rounding a bend both found the creature standing in front of Kushina who was nursing a blank-faced boy with red eyes. He was trying to protect both from two male adult Ninkin who were slowly approaching them.

For every step forward the adults did the creature and Kushina were forced to step back and soon their backs were to the cave wall. The two men noticed the boy\creatures looks had changed, down to the long and sharply pointed tail that whipped about him, almost with a life of it's own. The boy himself was pale and barely on his feet, swaying from side to side as if about to fall but determined to protect the woman and child with his life.

When the adult Ninkin was close enough they launched themselves at the boy, their own tails whipping for him. "Fugaku!" Kushina cried in horror and fear as he went down under them. Then spying her husband and Hizashi in the entrance, she cried "Minato, help him please! He saved Sasuke!"

"But..." he started and she cried to him "He only grabbed me because he was worried about Sasuke being in shock and needed to find someone to help him!"

"But..." Minato started to protest again.

Desperate, Kushina looked at Hizashi "He knows were your daughter is and he showed me! He can take you there!" then she looked back to Minato "And Suigetsu! Help him and he'll take you there! If they kill him you'll never find them before they are seriously hurt!"

Hizashi strode forward and grabbed one, throwing it into the wall with a surprising show of strength. Minato heading for the other, but not quick enough. As Fugaku wrapped his tail around the others legs and pulled them out from under him his tail lashed up and caught the boy deep in his chest with the deadly barb.

The boy\creature collapsed backwards with a choked gurgle of agony, Kushinas cry of horror echoing him. While Hizashi grabbed the other Minato took Sasuke from Kushina, so she could rush to the boys side. Trying desperately to stem the flow of blood from the wound she started to sob.

The other Ninkin suddenly broke free of Hizashi, tail lashing out in a blur of movement for his throat. The man ducked at the last possible second, grabbed the tail just above the barb and used it to swing the entire male creatures body around, picking up speed while it shrieked in fear. Then he suddenly let go.

Seconds before hitting the wall the adult managed to twist, only the hand striking and the muffled crack showed the bones had broken. Before Hizashi could move after it, it had grabbed it's unconscious friend and fled, crying back with a laugh "It does not matter if I have seriously hurt him or not. He has been dying since he escaped the temple."

Kushina was knelt beside the younger one, trying desperately to stop the light red blood flowing from the chest wound. Fugaku's agony filled red eyes rolling up to look into her aquamarine ones as he spoke weakly to her, surprising both Hizashi and Minato. "He is right, you know. I have felt it since I escaped. I will not last much longer without the completion of the jutsu, but I will give up our souls if I did that."

"You're not going to die, Fugaku! There has to be something we can do?!"

"I do not think you all can do anything. But if I last until the night the moons healing light shall help me, strengthen and heal me. " He paused dramatically then breathed out "or kill me."

Hours later when they were sleeping Fugaku weakly rose, stumbled into the cave wall and managed to keep himself from crying out, to swallow back his cry. He leaned against the wall, slowly making his way out to the ledge. As he did he failed to notice one of Hizashi's eyes slowly open and watch him go silently. Kneeling down on the thin ledge he murmured the words of a jutsu of his own, the moonlight slowly intensifying and surrounding him.

Kushina was awoken by a loud and familiar cry of pain. By pure reflex she looked to Fugaku to find him gone. Fearfully she awoke Minato, Hizashi suddenly opening his eyes and launching to his feet before she could move to wake him and all three heading out to the stone ledge.

There they found Fugaku kneeling in the moonlight, sweating and panting heavily, wounds bleeding again he was murmuring arcane words between pants for breath, raising his head so his face was fully bathed in the light. Suddenly he jerked in pain and screamed again. "My god!" Kushina exclaimed and moved to go towards him. But there was a sudden flap of wings and something landed in front of her and blocked her way. A young female voice cried out "Do not touch him!"

In front of them was another Ninkin, this one a teenaged female the same age as Fugaku, with the same emotional passionate eyes. She crouched with claws ready and tails twitching threatening, ready to protect the boy from them. "Who are you?" Kushina tried to edge past her to Fugaku, not noticing Hizashi deep frown as he looked at the young female.

All were startled when Fugaku spoke out "Mikoto?" weakly. The female turned and instantly forgot them, kneeling in front of him. Taking his limp and sweaty face in her clawed hands she spoke gently "Fugaku my love, are you all right?"

"Yes, now" the first word was forced from clenched teeth and seemed no more than a hiss, the second a sigh. He continued weakly "Mikoto meet Hizashi-hokage of this land, and Kushina and Minato Namikaze. Friends, this is Mikoto my love." He collapsed weakly into her arms and she allowed Kushina to check him over. He was drained but the wounds were gone, without a single scar.

Two hours later he was awake and able to talk. They told them their story, only the truth this time. Who they were and where they were from. "You mean they aren't your bodies? You're spirits possessing them? What about the spirits of those they belong too?" Kushina asked as both Ninkin sat across from them in the cave, Mikoto seated with Fugaku. Both her arms were wrapped around his waist and holding him protectively close to her, she hadn't left him since joining them.

"I told you I do not belong in this plane, remember? I said I was dead. As for the souls of the hosts of these forms, we are in communication with them. It is a mutual alliance while we are trapped here. They agree to let us control and do not fight us as long as we listen to them and allow them influence over our actions. It was my host that sensed your goodness and wanted me to not harm you, Kushina. He was right, I should listen before I judge."

"Do you know who they are? Can you tell us?" she asked and he answered shortly "No." To which she frowned and Minato asked suspiciously "Why not?"

"The longer we are in these bodies the harder it is for them to exist. If we do not get free of these forms soon, they shall cease and we shall become the true owners." Fugaku looked concerned and worried "I do not want that to happen. He is an noble soul."

"But I don't want to go back to where we were" Mikoto's voice trembled in fear "We were in an abyss of darkness. We were separated when we died."

"How and when DID you die?" they asked and he questioned "What is the year now?"

"2013."

"It was three years ago. Mikoto and I were in love and on our way home with our newborn son. We were orphans, both from the streets who had been able to find each other, jobs and an apartment. Our son was only three days old when it happened. A drunk came out of nowhere and hit us head on."

Mikoto continued, voice trembling. "Fugaku died after being pinned behind the wheel by a piece of metal through his lung. I can still remember coming too after blacking out during the crash to see him like that. He was deathly grey and blood soaked his shirt front, metal sticking into him. Bloody saliva was coming from his mouth and this terrible wheezing sound from his chest as he tried to breathe. His eyes were clenched tightly in agony." The tears started to flow and she trembled harder as she went on.

"I was trapped by my waist by the seat and the front of the car so couldn't help him, and he told me he loved me before he fainted and never awoke, I had to listen to every forced breath he made, until he could no longer force himself to breathe. When he died I would have given up if I hadn't had Obito to worry about. I knew by the smell the tank was leaking, and it would blow soon. I didn't care about myself, I didn't want our son to die with us and I couldn't see if he was hurt, he was screaming in fear in the back."

Kushina frowned thoughtfully so Minato queried for her "What happened?"

"A man suddenly appeared. He had intense eyes and saw us. He got Obito out and tried to get to us, but the fire was spreading and I could see by his eyes he was afraid of it. So I told him to go, to protect and raise Obito as his own, I gave him a locket with our pictures in it and screamed at him to go, to save Obito. He backed off as the tank blew. All I remember was pain, then something warm chasing away the agony and I found myself and Fugaku in another world. I told him Obito was safe and we didn't care where we were, as long as we were together."

Fugaku went on "We were attacked by other spirits who wanted Mikoto and separated us. We spent all the time there searching for each other. Finally we were reunited, but I felt an irresistible pulling. I was yanked from Mikoto's arms and forced into this body."

"How terrible for you both, being torn apart after being reunited after so many years of separation."

"Yes" Fugaku said "I freed myself from the bonds in anger and I recognised the danger to the three captives and freed them. I grabbed the young boy and get shot in the arm as I tried to escape. I took him here, recognised the shock and weak and sad I tried to find help. I stopped in that clearing for something this body demanded to eat."

"And we're sorry we judged you by your looks" Minato said softly but Fugaku shrugged good-naturally "It is human nature to judge with fear, Kushina was different." Kushina spoke out then, admitting "I didn't know why then, something just told me to trust you, Like I knew you somehow." She looked at him intensely. Minato must have recognised her expression "What is it, Kushina?" She spoke softly to the creatures "What are your last names, what was your sons?" Mikoto spoke "I and Fugaku was Uchiha. But we named Obito after my mothers side."

"Was that Abrahume?" something intense came into her eyes and the female looked surprised and shocked "Yes! How did you know?" Kushina shot to her feet with a cry "I knew it! I knew it!" Minato frowned at her elation, confused by it "What is it, Kushina?" To which she answered "Obito, OUR Obito! They're his parents!"

"My god, I never thought…" he murmured in awe and shock but Kushina laughed almost hysterically "Neither did I! That's why I trusted him! I felt connected to him!"

"What are you talking about?" Fugaku asked in confusion but Mikoto's eyes were wide and she said softly "you know where Obito is?"

"Better than that" Minato said "We've been raising him for the last three years. Kakashi, that's the guy who tried to save you, was being chassed by someone. He gave him to us to raise because he didn't want to endanger him. Right now Obito's in Suna, some trusted friends are baby sitting him for us."

"You know the man who tried to save us?" Mikoto asked softly. "Not very well but yes. He was so emotional, so intense..." to which Mikoto dreamily added "I know. I saw it to, in his eyes." Kushina seemed to think of something and sobered up "We could send for Obito, If you want to see him" but Mikoto exclaimed in horror. "NO!"

"Why not?" Kushina frowned "Surely you'd want to see him after all these years. See if he's well and who he's grown up to look like..." Fugaku said softly, firmly, adding to his lovers words "No. We want him to think of us as his noble parents who gave him up to save his life. Not like this, not as spirits forced into other people's body and looking like this."

"But he's your son, he wouldn't care..." Kushina started to say but Mikoto echoed her love "Fugaku's right. I don't want him to see us like this. I love him with all my heart and soul and so does Fugaku, but we couldn't face it if he was to fear us for what we had become." There was an uncomfortable pause in which Mikoto broke with "Thank god we're the only Ninkin's here though."

"We are not" Fugaku sighed and Mikoto frowned at him "What do you mean?" he answered her "We're not the only Ninkin's here, my love. Remember Hidan and Madara?"

"How could I forget, they were the ones who separated us..." She suddenly realised what he was saying "Oh no, you don't mean..."

"I'm afraid so, my love" and he held her close while she shook in terror and horror. Until she finally regained some control and looked up in his face in time to catch his weakly drooping eyelids. With a bit of prodding both Kushina and Mikoto got him to lie down and sleep. Mikoto then curled up beside him and held tightly in each other's arms the two slept.

The next night Fugaku awoke to find the two of them alone with Kushina. When he asked sleepily where the men were, she said that Hizashi had taken Minato to get them some food. Mikoto stirred awake and asked what time it was. "Eleven-thirty, why?"

"I forgot!" she launched herself to her feet. "What is it?" Kushina asked, alarmed by her reaction. "They're going to use that boy you call Suigetsu for the next Ninkin! That's why I escaped but I forgot when I saw Fugaku! We have to stop them!"

"But the men won't be back for a few hours!" Kushina protested and Fugaku rose as he spoke "Then we'll have to do it ourselves."

But they failed and were captured, put inside a steel cage together. Kushina was tied with rope and gagged while the two Ninkin's chained with heavy chains. If the two younger creatures hadn't had to fight the adult Ninkin's they could have escaped, but both were exhausted.

The cage was wheeled in and they saw Suigetsu drugged and chained on the altar under the skylight and dressed as Mikoto and Fugaku were, symbols scratched into the flesh on either side of his spine. Kushina's eyes were wide with horror, Fugaku and Mikoto's fearful knowledge and both fought weakly against their chains.

Pain suddenly appeared and approached the cage, out of the reach of the Ninkin's claws and cackling evilly. "It is good of both of you to return to me and bring someone with you I can use. You can witness this one's possession before I complete the jutsu on you both." Fugaku snarled at the man at this "You'll not touch her while I live!" The man seemed amused "So it seems you have an inkling of your hosts mind." Fugaku snarled "I have more than that, we communicate, he speaks to me."

"Impossible. The soul should be trapped and silent!" The man snapped but Fugaku snarled back "That's for humans, you fool! We are nin!" The man seemed to get even more furious "No wonder you rebelled. I underestimated the strength of the nin's mind. It is stronger by far than I suspected. All the better then when you serve me as a soldier!"

"I will NEVER serve you and neither will Mikoto, Kushina or the boy!" The evil man grinned, "Oh, you will, you will." He laughed as Fugaku increased his struggles and turned back to the altar, Kushina watching in horror and disbelief as he started the jutsu. Suigetsu began to change.

Suddenly she heard a cry of "Mizuki! Ca ceesa Muzuki!" She looked over to see Fugaku; his face was intent in anger and concentration as he called out those strange words. Over and over he called them until a man nearby struck him hard on the head, but that only lasted until he shock the effect off and started to call them out again. So they shoved a gag in his mouth.

The new Ninkin screamed in fury and saw them. It looked shocked and called their names, obviously knowing them. Pain snarled in fury, another reject. The new one was put in the cage with them. Careful of his claws some men dragged Fugaku out and chained him to the altar in the others place. As Fugaku fought against the chains, teeth gnashing in anger, Pain started the last of the jutsu. Fugaku's body convulsed, fighting against the spells power as he had fought against the chains, Kushina, Mikoto and Mizuki-the other one, all started calling out encouragements.

Their cries were giving him strength, but it wouldn't last long and he'd soon be taken over.

Suddenly Minato and Hizashi burst in, firing Minato and Naruto's lasers they had designed and built themselves. While Hizashi held them off with expert shots Minato went to the cage and freed them, asking as he untied Kushina "Are you all right, darling?"

"Yes, thanks to you. If you hadn't of come when you did, well I don't think Fugaku could of held on much longer. Free Mikoto and Mizuki while I go check him." Minato nodded and she moved slowly and cautiously towards the boy who lay, barely conscious and soaked with sweat, panting with eyes only mere slits.

"Fugaku?" she asked softly, afraid for a minute that he had been possessed by another spirit. Slowly the lids were forced open long enough for her to see the scared and emotional eyes of Fugaku before they drooped and he lost his hold on consciousness. She sighed in relief and Mikoto joined her apprehensively "Is he...?"

"Just weak, but it was a close shave. Help me free him." Before she could start looking for the keys Mikoto had gripped the chains and squeezed, there was a protest of metal and the links shattered. She then pulled her love to his feet and supported him as they fled the temple.

When they reached the cave all three Ninkin's lay down to sleep. After picking up Sasuke, Kushina addressed the two men. "We can't wait until they wake to find out about Naruto and Hinata. That may take hours and we may not have that long."

"What do you suggest we do, Kushina?" Minato asked her. "Itachi and Kisame are getting out of that little hospital today, aren't they? Sasuke's bound to know." Minato understood "but would Itachi hypnotize his own son?" Kushina frowned "I don't know, but it's worth a try. But who'll stay with them?" she motioned at the three sleeping Ninkin's. "I will" Minato volunteered "you'll need Hizashi to lead you there, only he knows how to get there."

Hizashi nodded, adding "and some of my followers may mistaken you for intruders." And Kushina nodded this time.

They reached the small hospital at about nine-thirty that morning, Sasuke still fast asleep in Kushina's arms. The first Doctor they met there was Doctor Raido Namiashi, the man who had been caring for Itachi. He saw them and approached slowly, frowning in confusion "Mr Hyuuga, is anything wrong? Who is this woman and child?"

"Nothing is wrong, Dr Namiashi. We are here about you patient. Has he and his friend left yet?" The Doctor shook his head "Not yet but they're about to." Hizashi nodded, pleased "Good. Where are they? We need to see them."

"Follow me." He lead them to a small room where Itachi sat on the end of the bed tying his shoes laces while Kisame waited, standing beside the door. The warrior was the first to see them, for Itachi's head was down as he was watching his scarred hands tie. "Kushina!" the warrior gasped, then his eyes widened "Sasuke!"

Instantly the thin man's head snapped up, seeing them and crying "Sasuke!" His voice was a combination of great relief, joy and gladness as he launched himself from the end of the bed and ran forward, reaching for his son.

Kushina let him take the child from her and he retreated from them, back to the bed, hugging the child protectively to him and murmuring soft and gentle words of comfort in their native tongue. "Why is he like that?" Kisame asked when the boy neither moved nor spoke and Kushina answered softly "He's in shock. But only he knows were Naruto and Hinata-Hizashis' daughter, is. We need Itachi to..."

"Hypnotise him and find out" Kisame completed and Kushina nodded but Itachi said "No" protectively. "Please Itachi. You have Sasuke back, safe and sound and unharmed, but Hizashi and I don't even know if ours are still alive. We need you help, we need Sasuke 's help."

Kushinas' face twisted in fear and concern as she went on, motioning to Hizashi who sat back with hands crossed over his chest. He was looking at the nin with a hard face "please help us get our children back." Itachi hesitated. He was torn between leaving his son to peace and helping the woman and village ruler, looking back and forth from Kushinas' concerned and frightened face to Hizashis'.

Kisame suddenly spoke up "Itachi we owe Kushina and Naruto more than we can ever repay. This guy helped us get out and safe. So we could be here for Sasuke and Suigetsu."

Finally he sighed "All right" and Kushina smiled a little in relief "thank you Itachi." The thin man gently sat his son up on the bed while Kushina closed the curtains and pulled some chairs up for herself; Kisame; Hizashi and the curious Doctor. Kushina then handed two small leather pouches to him "I grabbed these before I left. I thought you might need them."

After checking the contents he nodded slowly "I do." He took a tiny object from one and attached the pouches to his belt under the cloak, placing the object on the floor in front of them. It was a tiny dark red sword with a strange crystal pommel, the entire object no more than ten cm long. He closed his eyes and raised his hands above it-palms down and started to murmur the words of another more arcane language. Hizashi frowned and spoke to Kushina "What language is that?" She glanced at him and answered "the language of Stone, Why?"

"I recognize some of it. It is the language of my ancestors." Kushina looked at him in surprise and shock "You mean you can understand him? That you're descended from the Kin nins!"

"My tribe has worshipped us for centuries. I rule because I'm the only true one of my kind left. My brother tribe, their ruler is only half breed and he resents the fact I'm more powerful than him." Kushina looked at him, locking eyes while she said "So you're nin too." The man looked slightly uncomfortable and broke off eye contact with her, stated flatly "I've no nin chakra."

"No, but I saw the strength you had against those adult Ninkin's. Maybe over the centuries they developed more strength and less and less chakra." Hizashi didn't speak so Kushina asked, "What's your real name? If you've lived here all your life you wouldn't have been named Hizashi Hyuuga. I could understand you would know English, being your tribe leader and having places like this close by." She motioned around them "it would pay to be able to communicate with them."

He didn't answer. "Hizashi..." she started and he looked at her sharply. "My true name doesn't matter here, or ever" he said then looked back at the nin, his face showed the conversation was over and Kushina let it go, THIS time.

When she looked back Sasuke was sitting up on the bed with eyes open and face blank, waiting for the questions silently. Itachi spoke softly "Sasuke my son I am going to ask you a few questions and I want you to answer them. Understand?"

Sasuke nodded slowly against the pillows and spoke out softly, his voice already his fathers, despite his youth. "Father" and this caused the nins' face to almost break with that one word. But he steeled himself "Yes my son. Now..." Kushina moved to his side "Ask if Hinata and Naruto was with him when they were taken to the temple."

"What temple?" questioned Itachi. "I'll tell you later. Just ask." After a pause Itachi nodded and looked to his child "son, cast your mind back to when they took you to the temple. Are Naruto and Hinata with you?" The child answered emotionlessly that "Hinata is."

"Where's Naruto?" he asked firmly and the boy' voice trembled in fear "They took him from us. They are bringing him in now and tying him to the altar. They had...had..." his voice broke off. "Calm down, son, you are safe and warm. What did they do to Naruto?"

"They hurt him. He's really still." Kushina gave a little cry of horror and fear and Itachi continued softly "good so far son. Tell us what is happening now?" Sasuke's voice still shook "I don't know, I closed my eyes, I was so scared. There was shouting and an loud noise." Itachi asked him what the shouting was about and he said softly the creature.

"He must mean Fugaku" Kushina said softly and Hizashi nodded in agreement. But when Itachi asked her whom she answered with "I'll tell you everything later." The man hesitated then turned back to Sasuke "there is nothing to be afraid of, open your eyes and tell me what is happening. Is Hinata and Suigetsu still with you?" and he answered yes but they noticed he didn't answer the first question. Itachi noticed and repeated it to a cry of "I can not tell you!"

"Why not?" he asked and the boy cried "Because HE doesn't want me too!"

"Who? Pain? Naruto?" Before Sasuke could answer there came a light tap-tap-tapping at the window. Kushina rose and went too it, drawing back the curtain to reveal on the other side Mikoto. "Who and WHAT is that?" asked the Doctor and Kushina answered softly as she opened the window "Her name is Mikoto and she's on our side. She's an Ninkin, an spirit in someone else's body."

Kushina thought she saw Itachi's' eyes narrow thoughtfully as she spoke, but thought nothing of it. Instead she concentrated on the figure and asked "Mikoto, what are you doing here? How did you find us?" she asked as soon as the window was open. Then she saw the females' wide and frightened eyes and realised something was wrong "What is it?"

Mikoto spoke quickly, desperately "the others! We were attacked and they grabbed Minato and Fugaku! Only Mizuki and I escaped and he's keeping watch. Hurry, we need your help!"

"Of course" she turned to the others "who's coming?" Itachi answered he would but Kushina frowned "what about Sasuke?"

"Simple" he turned back to his son "my son, when I click my fingers you shall awaken from this trance no longer in shock. You shall sleep deeply and Kisame and Hinata's father Hizashi shall be there to take care of you when you awaken, understand?"

"Yes father" Sasuke nodded and there came a loud cry from outside. Mikoto glanced away then back "hurry, they're coming!" Itachi clicked his fingers and followed by Kushina was out the window. Gripping his sword tightly Mikoto picked him up around the waist and flapped her wings, launching herself into the air while Mizuki picked up Kushina.

"Hurry, they're gaining!" Kushina cried when she saw the two adult Ninkin's behind them, rapidly catching up. Itachi spoke as he turned so his sword, the crystal pointing at the two figures "I can fix that" and he said one sharp word. Immediately a bright light seared a furrow in Hidan's wing, damaging it. Another light followed the first and struck the other, sending them both barreling down without the balance and strength in their wings to fly after them.

They didn't find them, so went back for Hizashi and Kisame, leaving Sasuke with some of Hizashis' people, he left orders to care for the boy, he had been through enough fear as it was. They followed Mikoto and talking who seemed to know where she was going. Mizuki explained that because of their love Mikoto and Fugaku's spirits were linked and she could find him anywhere.

So they had only to follow her, then Kushina had told Kisame that Mizuki was in Suigetsu's body. After they had calmed the warrior down the Ninkin spoke to him "I don't want to be inside your son, but until we stop Pain and his men we have no choice. Only he can free us. He's the one who weaved the jutsu, he has to break it."

"Then let us get him," Kisame said grimly. And that's when they organised the plan, to be put in affect after they rescued Fugaku and Minato. They had been talking about finding Naruto and Hinata when Hizashi spoke out "I had of though it was obvious. It is to me." Kushina asked him what he meant and he answered calmly, as he always seemed to do things "Mikoto and Fugaku are using their bodies." Kushina was stunned by this "They, but..."

"My daughter and I are close, closer than normal people would be. We are of the same flesh and blood. I can sense her. Mikoto is her, I've known from the start." They frowned at the man "Why didn't you tell us?" who pointed out "You never asked me."

At an hour to midnight they were creeping through an obviously sleeping camp towards one tent in particular, just like Hizashi had a few nights ago. All but Kushina was able to see in the dark so Itachi led her by the hand. They crept inside it. There they found, laying in a corner of the tent and spread-eagled plus chained heavily a badly beaten Fugaku.

"Who is that?" Itachi asked softly as Mikoto ran forward. "Mikoto boyfriend, Fugaku. He's who lead us to the temple and rescued Sasuke, He and Mikoto are Obito's real parents and the one in Naruto's body." Itachi spoke as he moved forward "Then I owe him something."

He pointed his crystal at the creature's ankle chains, murmuring a few words and the chains broke. Next he did his wrists. Then he moved to the wing chains, the tails chained to the wings. Mikoto stopped him though "Look."

Fugaku was stirring, slowly coming to, moaning with his pain. The first thing his eyes set on was the concerned face of Mikoto. He opened his mouth to try to speak, but she placed a finger to his lips to shush him. Then she touched his temple in a curious gesture, but definitely of love.

After a few seconds of silence she spoke softly to them "Only the body is injured, not both his and the host soul. They tried to force the host soul out, hoping it would weaken his will and make him easier to enslave, but he fought them and held it in as long as he could, until they gave up trying at least. But the host soul is severely weakened, it won't last much longer."

"We MUST hurry then," Itachi said. When Fugaku made a weak sound she turned back to him "no my love, don't try to speak. We are here to get you out. Where's Minato?" Fugaku spoke urgently, weakly but hurrily "they've taken him to the temple to use for the next Ninkin. You have to go stop them, hurry."

"But you..." Mikoto started to protest, but the weak Ninkin interrupted desperately "please Mikoto! I'll...WE'LL be fine, but Minato is more important! I don't want him to become like those others, hurry my love!" Mikoto and Itachi got to their feet and with Mizuki and Kushina hurried away.

Pain stormed into the tent hours later, pissed off. Seeing the young Ninkin free and curled up asleep on the hard ground he grew angrier. "Those four have been here haven't they!" he brought the whip down and struck the newly awoken Ninkin with it. But with a sudden burst of anger and energy Fugaku launched himself at the man, snarling and clawing.

Immediately the man yelled to the two adult Ninkins who came in and before he knew it Fugaku was being forced off, back onto the ground and chained again. He was helpless and too weak to do more than snarl and wince as the man grinned nastily and raised the whip.

For at least five minutes the man struck the boy\creature with it repeatedly, hard. When he grew bored of the game he left the tent, followed by Hidan and the other adult. He left Fugaku to lie panting with pain and exhaustion, bleeding light red blood from hundreds of wounds over his body.

Fugaku felt something inside him slither and try to escape, shrinking inside him and growing weaker, barely existing. "NO!" his eyes widened in panic. "No Naruto stay with me, don't give up! Just a little bit longer! You're friends and family need you I need you, Obito needs you! Please hold on!"

When the presence slid from his mental grip he did the only thing he could do. Using that life force all souls share he, in one brief burst of power, gave the boys soul all he had.

The light left him.

The seven burst into the temple chamber. Fugaku was chained and unconscious under the skylight again, Pain about to recite the jutsu. The two adult Ninkins were by the door and other men scattered through the chamber.

Minato; Kisame; Hizashi and Kushina were armed with the laser pistols, Itachi ready to cast his force field domes where needed and Mizuki and Mikoto ready fight by hand.

Itachi moved first, teleporting the book from the man's hands to the altar beside Fugaku. Then an instant later he surrounded the man with a dome of invisible forced himself. Pain dived for the book, and knocked himself out on the force field. Then Itachi surrounded both Ninkin adults in force-field bubbles, so they couldn't use their claws to dig their way out.

Mikoto and Kushina then rushed to Fugaku side while the others overpowered the men and held them at gun-point until Hizashi warriors turned up to take over as guards. Mikoto's gasp of horror caught their attention, tears in her eyes. "What is it, Mikoto?" Minato asked as he came over, concerned and frightened that something had happened to Naruto's soul. "They're almost gone!" she gasped "both of them!"

"Why both of them?" they gasped and she cried "The boys soul is a little stronger than before, but Fugaku must have feed him his strength to keep him here." Kushina asked her with horror and concern "What do you mean?"

"It's like our strength is a light that all souls have, even evil ones. The longer we're in these bodies the weaker their light gets and the stronger we are. When you're light fades you die, your body AND soul. The boy's light must have almost gone out and Fugaku feed him his own light to keep him here. But he gave him too much, they're both almost gone!"

"How do we help them then?" Minato asked and she looked at Itachi "Only one way, Pain must free Fugaku now, before they get any weaker." The nin said softly "He's unconscious." But she snapped "Then bring him too!"

So Itachi faded the shield and they shook the man until he came too. At first he looked blank, then he surged to his feet and tried to escape. Hizashi caught him up by the neck, lifted him off the ground. He looked at him with ferrous eyes. "Let me go!" the man cried in fear. "Someone help me!" No one moved to. So he tried begging "Let me go, please don't hurt me!"

Hizashi didn't release him and they let his threat sink in deeper before Kisame spoke, stirring it up deeper. "Let me kill this guy" and moved to take him from Hizashi, flexing the muscles on his huge bulk.

"Back off" Hizashi growled at him "he's mine. He did this to my daughter. To even harm the Princess of the ANBU is punishable by a slow and agonised death." He threw a few words in his village tongue over his shoulder and the warriors all let out a loud, blood curdling war cry.

The man was almost pissing his pants. Without the jutsu book, the adult Kealerans and his men to back him up he was just a spineless coward. "Please! I'll do anything! ANYTHING!" Kushina came forward "what about the jutsu? Guys if he reverses it, will you let him live?" playing along.

"Why, Kushina?" Minato called out "Hizashi is right. Naruto's almost gone; Hinata and Suigetsu are possessed and soon will end up like Naruto. Let them kill this guy as slowly as they want. In fact I'll join in." Kushina smiled and said in a deadly sweet voice "You're right Minato, death would be better. As long as I get a go as well."

"Agreed" Kisame said. "NO!" the man yelled "I'll do the jutsu, I'll release the spirits so they have their own bodies back! I swear! Just don't hurt me! PLEASE!" the group exchanged looks "What do you think?"

"He's too terrified to lie. I don' think he'll try anything." Kushina pointed out to which Hizashi slowly lowered him to the ground, but took hold of his arms "You may be right. But if he tries anything..."

"I won't!" He cried, "I swear on my life!" Minato said smugly "Damn straight you do." Kushina said "Do the adults as well" and the man quickly nodded. Itachi levitated the bubble to the altar. The two others joined Fugaku, Mikoto clutching her love protectively close to her. "Just remember" Kushina said to the man "Itachi knows the language of chakra. If he recognises the jutsu as other than you are suppose to, he'll warn us and you'll be dead before you can finish."

He nodded rigoursly in terror, took the jutsu book and stepped forward. His body and arms trembled so badly he could barely read the page. When Kisame glared at him he forced his arms still and voice steady as he recited the jutsu. They watched them closely as the spirits were freed from the bodies, which changed back. The souls of the others hovered over the youngsters for a few minutes and they saw them as slightly see through ghosts, but their true human looks.

Fugaku was in front and smiling serenely at them. He was tall and thin, lanky came to mind. His eyes were a similar red to Itachi and Sasuke's with thin lips and high cheeks, pale skin and his hair was black and short. He spoke to them and the voice whispered around them, gentle and compassionate. He thanked them for their love and trust, and told them that if they were ever in dire need they would be there to help. "How?" Kushina asked. "The light inside your son and I is more than similar now, we share the light of life that links all things."

"But..." She started and he smiled at her gently with amusement "Trust me." Before they could speak a light appeared in the corner of the room, the roof, and opened to reveal figures, spirits. Some were smiling gently and a few had wings of pure white light behind them. They called to the three gently. The three looked, was shocked. "MOTHER!" Mizuki cried and forgot them as he flew up into the arms of a beautiful woman. Fugaku and Mikoto looked, but seemed to be unsure about leaving them.

"Go ahead" Kushina said to them. Tears were in her eyes, tears of sadness to see her young friends leave but tears of joy for them. "Go, you're family's are waiting for you." Fugaku nodded, reached out to touch her cheek with a see-through but gentle hand. Then he stood and took Mikoto's hand "take care of Obito for us, Kushina."

"We will" she managed a smile and nod. Hand in hand the two floated up to join the others. As soon as they did the light folded in behind them, growing smaller and smaller until finally it was gone. "What happened to the other two?" Kisame asked. "They just went out" the man, Pain trembled "they just lifted out and then just went black and went out."

"Back to the abyss of darkness, the place all evil or lost souls go." Itachi answered and Kushina nodded "Where Mizuki, Fugaku and Mikoto were before. Well those adults deserved it." Kisame frowned "What about just then?"

"Fugaku, Mikoto and Mizuki must have earned their place in heaven" Kushina said "more than earned it." Itachi nodded "before when they died they went to the abyss because they died before their time and no one was there to guide them. Their good deeds caught the rulers of the spirit worlds' attention and they were brought to the right place."

Kushina nodded and there was a sudden moan as Suigetsu and Hinata stirred, coming too. They opened their eyes and looked around, Hinata crying something and jumping off the altar to run to her father, surrounded protectively in his arms. Held close and tight she hid from what had happened in his embrace.

Suigetsu just looked around and rose and calmly walked to his father side as if it happened to him every day and it hadn't worried or unnerved or even upset him in the least. But Naruto didn't move, didn't even stir.

Kushina frowned and she moved to his side. Minato frowned as well, afraid to move towards them in case of what he'd find. When Hinata saw her concern and the fear in her eyes as she moved towards him she whipped her tears on her father's shirt and moved to join her, speaking softly "Naruto?" Suigetsu's eyes widened and he moved to join them. "He's not moving" Kushina said to them in concern "and he's barely breathing."

"His light must have been weaker than Fugaku and Mikoto thought," Hinata said softly in concern "I don't know how we'd help him."

"Move aside" Itachi said as he moved forward. They obeyed, Hinata going back to his fathers protective arms to watch. She seemed a little over sensitive and her father's presence provided her control, his arms like a shield to protect her bodily and mentally.

She was also very innocent.

Itachi examined the boy. He soon sat back and said softly "his light is almost gone, his body not knowing any longer how to hold him inside. The possession has confused it, it doesn't know if the soul has left it or is still there. If it should be dead without a soul or if the one inside is the proper light." Hinata looked up into her fathers' eyes in question, but he shook his head slowly. She frowned and looked back at them. "Can't you do anything to help him, Itachi? Heal him? Help his light?" The nin frowned at this "To just heal the body would not help the soul, the body would be restored, but the boy's soul would still be weak."

"What about the jutsu book?" Minato motioned at the book that Pain had clutched to his chest "it caused the problem, surely there would be something in there to help his light strengthen."

"I do not know" the nin said thoughtfully as he levitated the book out of the man's hands. "NO!" Pain cried, but Hizashi just backhanded him across the room. Itachi took the book and flipped through, eyes intense with concentration. He slowed and stopped at one page "There is something." They looked excited and relieved but Itachi looked up, face serious "but there is an danger."

"What?" they were worried again by Itachi's expression and he answered their looks "If the soul is pure it will strengthen the souls' light so they are strong enough to heal on their own." When they added a but for him he nodded "But if the soul has been touched by darkness or ever is, it will strength the darkness. If the darkness is stronger than the light, the soul shall turn dark and evil, true evil."

"But Naruto..." Kushina started to protest but Itachi looked at her intently "EVERYONE had a dark side, Kushina. Most can hide or control it well and some don't try, some are ruled by it. Even I have one. But my control over it is powerful, part of my abilities."

Kushina and Minato exchanged looks. They both knew of an incident that happened to Naruto when he was nine. An incident that made him afraid to be touched, and event of evil that touched him..."Do it" Minato said, looking back to the nin and breaking eye contact with Kushina. Itachi nodded and they moved away, allowing the nin the room he needed.

He started the jutsu and his mouth shaped the sounds of the words perfectly, as they were meant to be unlike such as Pain who only said them as they read them. The words rose and fell as if in a song. As he did a light bathed Naruto's form and encased it, arching as the light invaded him.

The jutsu went all the way through until the end, when the light faded and Naruto's body slumped. Itachi closed the book "we will not know if it worked until he has healed and regained consciousness."

"Why so long?" they were impatient to know if it worked or Naruto was going to be…"When his body is healed it will then worry about the soul. Until then it will remain in a deep slumber, the light strengthening its' purity-or darkness." Hizashi and Hinata spoke out then "You are welcome to remain here with us until that time."

"Thanks" Minato said "But we better go home." Kushina spoke out though "You can, Minato, But I think the less we move Naruto, the easier for his healing. I'll stay here with him. You can take Kisame and the others home."

"I am staying" Suigetsu said "If Naruto is staying. I want to be here when he wakes, I want to be here for him if he..." he couldn't finish. "You are welcome too" Hizashi nodded to him and he seemed touched by the boys' dedication to his friend. Kisame spoke "I will help you take these guys to your authorities so this idiot goes to jail."

"How are we gonna tell them about half of this? Jutsus' and possession, Spirits and heaven and hell. They won't believe us." Kushina frowned but Suigetsu spoke out "We do not have to tell them everything. Just he attacked your home and kidnapped Sasuke and us, then Naruto and we do not know why. He somehow used hypnotism to try and enslave Naruto and me and Hinata, but only regressed us to our previous life-that is a proven fact according to Naruto." When Minato nodded he went on "He beat Naruto almost dead for refusing to join and he may still die. The doctors here have our medical reports as proof of our injuries and you can take photos of Narutos."

"And our statements" Kushina said and they were surprised when two more voices added "And ours" the two adult men, previously Hidan and Madara, said as they sat up. Minato frowned and asked them "You'd help us?"

"Yeah" the first man nodded "we owe you. That bastard would have just let us become fully and utterly controlled by those things, to loose our souls" he shuddered in horror "we didn't want what he did to us."

"We'd appreciate the help," Minato said as both men slid from the altar, bubbles dissolved. They joined them "our pleasure, believe us." Both shook his hands and introduced themselves. The first was a man by the name of ooba Yamashiro, also a nin-with some psychic abilities. He told them the possession had been worse for him because he had the ability to feel empathy and that had been taxing on him not to have empathy with the spirit inside him and be overwhelmed by the evil. His entire possession he had been forced to struggle against being overtaken by the evil instead of fighting to throw it out.

They could understand that. The other was also a nin named Kotetsu whose ability was just a higher agility and speed than normal. He moved forward "I'll guard this creep. That way if he tries to escape, I can catch him before he gets the chance."

"Traitor!" Pain snarled at him from the wall where he sat after coming too when Hizashi smacked him into it. "Shut up you bastard," the man snarled, kicking the man in the head and between the legs. Pain's breath was knocked from him and he doubled up over his throbbing groin, unable to speak or barely breathe as his privates sent up waves of agony from that sensitive spot.

"Why did you guys join him?" Kushina asked. "My wife and twin kids and I have barely any money" Ooba said. "We have three mortgages and bills up to our ears and the bank is threatening to foreclose and throw us out. We have nowhere to go if that happens because my parents and Tasume's are dead and they left us nothing. My younger brother and his fiancée are constantly travelling and I don't know how to contact them and ask for help. This guy turned up one day on my doorstep, said he had a friend working in the local hospital who was giving him details of certain nins and I had come up. He promised me money to help, a LOT of money if I helped. But he promised me no one would get hurt; he only wanted to start a group of nins to help people. When I discovered the truth he forced me onto the altar and to be possessed like these others" he motioned at the teenaged three.

"My story's similar" the man, Kotetsu, said. "Only we're right with money, we have plenty. My wife and I are unable to have kids and he said he had a friend, a private doctor friend who would help us." He rose from his crouch next to Pain and approached Ooba "we have plenty of money. We can help you."

"You would? Why? What's in it for you?" the man frowned at the other who spoke out "Nothing in the way you think. We were both fooled by this bastard and besides; I'd like to think we've become friends in the last week or so. Taking care of your family would be like helping a brother out."

"I hardly see my own brother anymore" Ooba said. Then after a pause he said "I'd like that, brother" and the two men clasped arms briefly in a sign of future friendship and promise. "My kids are there for you, as long as you don't try to take them from us."

"I wouldn't dream of it" The man, Kotetsu, was shocked at the thought and the other said softly "No, but I did. Sorry." The other nodded and left his side to stand next to the man again as his guard. But also he watched carefully for any attempt to escape.

For days they took the men back to jail and took signed statements, Itachi and the other returning to their homes to wait news. Only Kushina and Suigetsu staying behind with Hizashi and his daughter to watch over Naruto and his condition, and Kushina was surprised at how much and how often she found Hinata sitting thoughtfully by Naruto's bed and gently cooling his forehead with a wet cloth.

Days later Naruto had come too twice but only briefly. He never spoke or acknowledged them and his eyes were blank. Then they would slowly close again.

When he came too properly a week later the entire group was there, including Minato and Kisame plus Sasuke and Itachi. They were overjoyed to find him weak but normal and it was then, after a thoughtful pause that he told them his idea. An idea he had thought about while Fugaku was inside him. "What sort of idea, Naruto?" Minato asked him.

"We start a group of people who help others and protect innocents, so something like this doesn't happen again to anyone else. They may not be so lucky next time. WE prevent it." Minato nodded thoughtfully "Good idea, I like it. Count me in."

"Me too" Kushina agreed.

"We used to do so on our world, Kisame and I" Itachi said "Before Rin and Karin had the boys. We shall join also." Kisame and Suigetsu nodded in agreement. They then all turned to look at Hizashi and Hinata, waiting for their answer. Hinata had one arm around her father's waist and her head against his side, his arms around her and her face pensive and his unreadable. "I can not just up and leave my people, it's not that simple" he finally said. "And my place is here with him" Hinata said softly "I'm sorry."

"But Hizashi, you don't have to leave for good" Kushina said softly "you can come and help when you're needed and as an extra occasionally. And Hinata can come with us and learn about the world outside this place. She's your daughter and surely you'd want to give her the world, a chance for more than this for the only thing keeping her here is you. Let her go and experience new things and decide for herself if she wants only this."

Hizashi looked thoughtful, torn between keeping his daughter with him where he could protect her from all and trusting someone else to do so. It was the worse time for a parent, not knowing whether to let go or hold on. "She'll come back to you" Kushina said as she looked him dead set in the eyes, never wavering or looking away. "You know she will. You just have to let her experience new things and meet new people, live a different life for a while."

"Yes! Come with us!" Suigetsu said, smiling and holding a hand out to her. "Let us show you a world you would never dreamed off, things you could never imagine!" Hinata tightened her arms around her father, afraid of the separation "But I've never been away before! I belong here and father needs me!" face filled with panic and fear. "Hizashi? It's your decision" Kushina said and after a long pause he asked softly "when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow at noon."

"If she goes she shall meet you all at your jet plane then. Now we must speak alone" and without another word he left them, leading his daughter away.

The next day tension inside the plane was high. Minato was in the pilot's seat and grumbling, looking like he was just about to hit Naruto who was strapped in next to his friend and talking. All day the boy had been leaving off his abbreviations, saying do not instead of don't for example, like Itachi and Suigetsu did. That, plus the tension of if the girl would come was getting to him, making him angrier and angrier.

But the boy was doing it almost naturally, as if he didn't know he was doing so. Kushina noticed and came to his side, a gentle hand on his shoulder and said softly "Don't worry Minato it's just a phase. He'll get bored of it and stop soon. He and Suigetsu are the best of friends and many best friends do similar things."

"You never..." Minato started but Kushina laughed out loud "yes I did. My old friend and I used to laugh the same. But we don't do it anymore; we do it our own way. Ignore it." Minato nodded and checked his watch "It's one, let's go. She's staying." Kushina and the others strapped in, Naruto mumbling in complaint-he thought they should wait a little longer-and were just rolling out of the clearing when Naruto cried, "Father wait! Look!"

Out the window his sharp eyes had seen Hinata's figure alone and watching them silently, not moving. Minato slowed down and stopped, so Kushina could open the side hatch and slowly approached her, asking gently and cautiously "Hinata?" as she slowed by her side. "Father told me I am to go with you," she said dully "so I am here."

"Only if you want to darling" Kushina said gently as she took her into her arms the girl still and stiff. "We don't want to make you do anything you don't want to. You can go back to your father and tell him we changed our minds." Hinata shook herself and her body went limp, even though her face hardened, "I can't, I must go. Take me with you."

"We won't force you." Her face softened "I know, but I will come with you."

"All right then." Kushina gently took her around the waist and led her towards the open hatch. Almost inside Hinata stopped and looked back once more longingly and then let herself be steered inside and into a seat, strapped in next to Kushina. Hinata stared blankly out the window for most the journey. Near her new home she slept with her head pillowed in Kushina's lap, face still edged with longing.

***************************End Chapter***************************************


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter seemed heavily religious when I redid it, but stick with it kiddies, It'll improve and next chapter, even though darker, will be the real start to this.

****************************Chapter 3*********************************

"Why do we need a place so big?" Hinata asked as they walked through the warehouse. "Because we've got to be able to put all the things we need inside," Kisame said "A gym and our rooms and a kitchen and room for the computers that'll run the place. A medical room and a room to hold those criminals and evil we capture and so on."

"I still do not understand why we can not use those caves Suigetsu and I found while we were rock climbing last week," Naruto complained. "I mean they were big enough to hold everything we need and more. It would be easy to defend with only a few ways in and out and deep and hidden inside the mountain."

"Because they are natural caverns, Naruto and one of the last untouched by man. You know how rare that is these days."

"But we would only need to build INTO it, not change anything!"

"No Naruto the decision is made. We buy an old warehouse and fix it up." Naruto mumbled a complaint, but didn't continue the argument. "Father what is wrong?" Sasuke suddenly asked, noticing Itachi's strange behaviour before anyone else. The nin had halted in the middle of the room and was clutching his sword tightly in one hand, eyes darting around alertly.

And now Sasuke could feel something too and it frightened him, clutching his father's hand in fear. "Itachi, what is it?" Suigetsu asked curiously and a little apprehensively "what is wrong?"

"This room is filled with powerful chakra, aggressive chakra. It has sensed us, it has sensed ME and is surrounding us."

"Why?" they asked and he answered them with "I know not." Hinata spoke out "chakra can be aggressive?"

"It is just like any person. It can be friendly or aggressive, good or evil."

"Can you stop it?" Naruto asked, looking around fearfully. "I do not think so. I have never sensed or used such a jutsu before. If I knew it, I could cancel-or reverse it."

"You know what sort of jutsu it is?" Hinata asked curiously "How? It's just chakra."

"To you and the others, maybe. But to myself and to any nin or jutsu-user it is an intricate pattern of sounds and words smells and senses all woven together and easily broken by an mistake."

"Can you stop it?" Naruto asked again.

"I do not know..." As Itachi spoke all six found themselves fading from the spot Naruto's cry of "WHAT IS HAPPENING!" echoing around them before they were suddenly gone.

They reappeared in completely different surrounding than their original. Instead of a large empty run-down warehouse they were in a large open clearing surrounded by huge trees and with distant mountains too their right. "Where are we?" Naruto asked as he looked around them in awe, instantly liking it.

"Father, this place is familiar" Suigetsu said "Why? Where are we?"

"I hope you'd remember this place" Kisame said gravely "this is where your and Sasuke 's mothers were killed."

"We are home," Itachi said, voice filled with mixed emotions he couldn't express.

"What about us?" Hinata asked fearfully "How are we going to get back? Surely you can send us back Itachi?" Before he could answer her, Naruto had spoken again. "You would not stay now you are back would you? I mean the group is just getting started, Do not stay here!"

"I'm not" Kisame answered softly "I mean we have nothing here to stay for with the women dead and no parents or other relations. I mean we only have the boys."

"And I am staying with Naruto" Suigetsu said stubbornly Sasuke agreeing instantly with him but Itachi said nothing.

"How are we gonna get back?" Naruto asked him.

"I do not know" he said "I have no knowledge of the jutsu Gato used to send us there in the first place. " He looked thoughtful then said "If Castle Rock still stands and the books are there I may be able to find the jutsu used and get us all back to your-OUR time."

"Good thing Suigetsu and I have been teaching each other our own fighting methods" Naruto grinned, flexing his muscles but Hinata asked, "What do we do about weapons and clothes?"

"It is getting dark so we will camp here for the night. Tomorrow Hinata and Naruto shall come with me to get some proper clothes and weapons from this time at the town nearby. Then we shall take my son to be minded by some friends and head for Castle Rock. Once we have the book we return for my son and then leave here."

The others nodded and Kisame and Suigetsu left to search for firewood. Hinata followed after a pause to look for the right wood she would need to make a Bow-frame and some arrows. When she returned Itachi gave her some thin rope for the bow and quiver.

Naruto then asked Itachi "How are you gonna pay for the clothes and weapons we get?"

"I still have my coins."

"But I thought..."

"Kisame gave his to your family, I kept mine."

"That's not what I meant. I thought we were going to use yours for the technical equipment we would need."

"I WAS, but we need it here. We would not be able to get to castle Rock and home if we could not pass for normal here. I shall think of some way to replace them later."

"Can you not just jutsu some up?" Itachi gave the boy such a look of reproach that he squirmed "I do not work that way, Naruto, you know that. That would be dishonest."

"Yeah, sorry" he mumbled.

That night they sat around the campfire and talked.

The next day Naruto and Hinata borrowed Kisame and Suigetsu's black cloaks and hoods and followed Itachi to the nearby small village and into the markets. It was crowded for such a small place and reminded Naruto of the flea markets in his native time.

With their faces and clothes hidden deep in the hood and cloaks they follower the nin through the crowds towards a certain stall.

Here they saw a tall man with building muscles and no teeth. The man grinned when the approached, eyeing the money pouch greedily as he spoke in Itachi's native language. "Greetings my lords how may I help you this fine morn?"

"Come off it, Mizu. How many people do you know like me?" and he lifted the hood back so the man could see the red eyes shinning from the darkness of the hood. The man looked both relieved and happy "Itachi! Praise the one true god for your return! It has been five a year!"

When Itachi translated for the two teenagers Naruto spoke "Our lines must be out of alignment. To them it was five years but to us it was three." Itachi nodded and looked back at the man. "I am here for our belongings Mizu and clothes and weapons for my two companions here."

"Aye sir. Right this way sir!"

The man led them to the back of the tent to a dark section. While Naruto and Hinata tried on clothes and armour the man told Itachi all that had happened since he and his son plus Kisame and Suigetsu were gone. Then while Naruto went through the swords to find one right for him Itachi got changed.

When he joined the two teenagers he was dressed in his nin costume. It consisted off a white shirt and trousers under the symbolic black cloak and hood; edged with gold chakra symbols done with careful thread and red clouds. The red clouds symbolized the highest-level nin meaning not evil but fully trained and the highest level to reach. But it was also the rarest and only a few were patient enough or strong enough in power to reach this level.

Around his waist and under the cloak was a thick leather belt with various small leather pouches with various chakra devices, books and one holding a miniature torch and some spare batteries. It was a device Itachi always carried with him since discovering it, for it still amazed him. He could use it to read his books of a night. His left side also bore an black sheath for the sword edged with gold like the cloak.

Getting Kisame and Suigetsu's belongings they paid Mizu and left, heading back to camp in silence. Once the two had changed Itachi shrunk their original clothes and put them safely into one empty pouch.

They then left.

Four days later they were travelling with no danger or seeing no other 'human' life for during that time. That was until the fifth day when they rounded a bend in the road to see a strange battle going on ahead of them.

They saw a tall brown haired teenaged girl hardly much older than them and wearing silver armour, fighting some strange half-men half-lizard. She used a sword and a heavy-looking shield as she tried to protect a figure in robes similar to Itachi, only red. She was slumped against a tree, one hand gripping an arrow through its shoulder and the other limp by its side. The figure was a woman, that's all they could tell by the visible hands and was trying to weakly remove the arrow, her face hidden deep in it's hood as Itachi's was.

A strange sword similar to Itachi's was lent against the tree next to her. When she touched the red crystal it would light up slightly red, but then quickly fade, as the nin was too weak to concentrate and heal herself.

To the group it was obvious most the lizard-men were dead because of the nin, for the bore the tell-tale burn marks of an crystal-laser as Naruto had taken to calling the jutsu. "What are they?" Suigetsu asked softly and curiously, Itachi answered "Gats. They are Gato's magically-created soldiers."

"We've got to help them!" Hinata exclaimed and the others agreed. Itachi took charge "Hinata and Naruto and Suigetsu plus Kisame you all help the girl. Sasuke and I will go and aid the woman. Be careful and watch each others back."

They nodded and the two warriors and nin drew their swords and ran into the thick of battle, while Hinata fired arrows for the side. Itachi and his son headed towards the hurt nin. The teenager saw them and asked "Who are you?"

Naruto only knew a little of the language-what Suigetsu was teaching him, and Suigetsu was unused to speaking it after three years of solely English. So Kisame answered, "we are allies and we hope soon to be friends. We have come to help you. Who are YOU?"

"I am Hana and the nin is my mother Tsume. We were on our way to Castle Rock when the Gats' attacked us. My mother managed to destroy quiet a few before they got her with an arrow and I am too busy to aid her. She may die!"

"Do not worry about her now. We have our own nin who will aid her. Go to her, we will stop these things for you." Without a protest the girl sheathed her sword and headed to her mother. From the corner of her eyes she saw a young girl her age firing arrows from the side of the battle, a perfect shot with each and wearing brown leather boots and skirt with a sleeveless chain-mail.

A black-robed nin bent over her mother, a child in strange clothes standing nearby.

The child said something in another language to the man who said something back sharply and the child was quiet. Hana stopped to watch him silently, knowing how rare black robed nins were, her mother had told her very few were powerful enough to reach that stage and so she was curious as to what he was going to do.

The man moved his hood back slightly so she could see the pair of red eyes shinning from the depths and also whiffs of shoulder length black hair showing. But the rest of his face was hidden in the darkness of the hood. The black robed nin went through hand signs before placing a fingertip lightly on the metal head of the arrow and the eyes closed, murmuring the soft words of a jutsu she didn't recognise. As she watched the head of the arrow melted and drip onto the grass.

When it was gone the man's eyes opened and he folded his fingers around the end, yanking the shaft out before she could protest.

The red robed others eyes sprang open-the same blue of Hana's-and she cried out in pain, collapsing back into unconsciousness in the others arms. He caught her and laid her out gently on the grass, away from the puddle of liquid metal. He then reached into one pouch and took out some sweet-smelling herbs. After murmuring a few words in the language of chakra he started to sprinkle them over the arrows' exit wound, then the bloody and torn robes.

As Hana watched in awe the blood faded from the robes. The exit wound started to close in front of her, knitting together and healing. She could see bone, flesh and skin moving and folding, even the torn purple robes repairing it self. He then turned to the entrance wound and that too began to heal. When the man finally drew back the other was healed and sleeping deeply. She even had some colour in her pale cheeks.

She started forward again and the man sat back and signed wearily, looking up as she crouched beside him. Surprise and disbelief as well as relief were on her face. "How?" she asked, was all she could manage to speak.

"I used a healing jutsu of my own making. She will sleep and when she awakens she shall feel strong and refreshed-as if nothing happened. Tell me how this happened?" While she explained the nin moved his hood over his face again and took the child in his left arm almost protectively and lovingly, right gripping the sword hilt.

Hana was confused. She knew it was the place of women to raise the children, not men. So why then was he different? Had he taken the child from its mother to raise in the ways of chakra, or had the mother abandoned or given it up-or worse-the mother was dead. The child was huddled deep in a grey cloak and hood with small arms around the man's waist, and it was obvious the two felt deeply for each other. But were they related? Maybe a father and son? Did the child know or remember its mother? Hana couldn't see the nin's face, so she couldn't check if they were alike.

When she had finished the nin spoke out from the depths of the black hood "Why were YOU headed for Castle Rock?"

For the first time Hana was suspicious of this figure "Why do you wish to know? What is it to you? Who are you?" A sudden thought hit her "art you and your companions working for Gato?"

"No we are not, I assure you. My companions and I have merely been away for five years. We only know a little of what is going on, what we learnt in Mist."

"No wonder, Mist is a village in the midst of mountains and gullies. It is hard to get to there, the lizard-men have not found it yet. I am sorry for suspecting you but my mother and I art on our way there to rescue my twin. Gato kidnapped him to keep mother from joining the rebels against him. We were going to get him out and any other person who wished to join us."

"You truly think you are both powerful enough to get in there and out alone, young one? Especially with so many hurt or maybe dying, with perhaps thousands of lizard-men guarding it. How simple do you believe that to be."

"I see what you mean now. We do not stand have a chance do we."

"You did not before but imagine how powerful you shall be with a black robed nin and five warriors by your side." Hana looked at him curiously "you would aid us? But why, what is in it for you and your companions?"

"First they are our people as well. Kisame and Suigetsu, myself and my son are natives of Rock. The second reason is I have need of one of the jutsu books there to send Naruto and Hinata back to their families. I have no knowledge of the jutsu myself."

"If that is all it be, we would be glad of the aid and companionship."

"I thank you," the nin said as he stood, the child still nursed close to his left side. He held his right hand out to help her up "I am Itachi and this is my son Sasuke."

"Greetings Itachi. I am Hana Inuzuka. Thank you for aiding my mother."

"Good to meet you, young one" and he shook her hand slightly.

Hana was relieved when hours later her mother stirred and came too. After she explained what had happened her mother accepted it and as they sat down for a break she and the black robed nin sat down to talk. She watched them for a while but when both brought out their jutsu books and started disguising them she quickly lost interest and watched the boy Naruto.

The longer she was with them the more interested she got in this blonde boy. By form and feature he resembled an Elf, but he was human. Or was he? There was something about him that drew her towards him-but she couldn't explain why. Did he have some nin talent they didn't know of or was it her? After all her mother was one and so had her father been and so had her grandparents.

Then what was it she was sensing from him?

She decided to see her mother about it and when the other nin had left her to see the older warrior she came over to her. "How are you feeling mother?" she asked first, sitting by her side. She smiled gently at her, her blue eyes-so much like hers and her twins shinning with warmth and love. "I am fine now, my daughter."

"That is good then," she said softly as she let her head rest against the tree behind her, face thoughtful. "What is wrong daughter?" she asked her softly, looking her deep in the face. "I can sense conflict in your thoughts."

"It's that boy, mother" she motioned at the blonde boy "I keep getting a feeling of being drawn to him, like love and can not resist, or he is luring me to him. What could it be?"

"Itachi explained that to me" Tsume said to her daughter. "that boy has power he does not know he has or can possibly learn to control yet. Part of that power is an experience he had with the soul of another that left him with the peace of the afterlife. THAT is what is luring you, that promise of peace."

"Makes sense mother" she said softly and thoughtfully "thank you."

She nodded and smiled and she left her as the other nin came back.

They had a surprising experience a days or so later. They were attacked by some lizard-men when Naruto was grabbed from behind and they started to drag him away. Hana went to try and help him, hearing the younger warrior Suigetsu cry out in fear for his friend's life when something happened. There was a feel of sudden power increase around him, his face full of fear when the lizard-men froze.

Confused the boy moved to sit up. There was a small movement beside him and a shape moved up to stop in front of him, yipping something they couldn't understand. The boy froze and asked softly something she couldn't understand but the other boy could "what? What did you say?"

"Naruto? You could understand her?" Itachi asked as the lizard-men fled and they started to join him. "Yeah. Why should I not? What is it?" The creature jabbered again and he looked at it "sorry, her. What is she?"

"They are called Biju, but you would call their kind animal spirits. They only aid those most powerful nins who can call them and understand their tongue. Somehow your nin abilities let you call her for aid."

"But what do I do with her Itachi?" Naruto looked up at the black robed nin "how did I get rid of her?" The miniature fox yipped angrily at this and Naruto frowned as he continued "Itachi?"

"The biju only do what they want when they want. She will leave your side only when she wishes."

"Try telling her to go away," Suigetsu suggested. When the nin boy did the fox only yipped, sitting on her haunches stubbornly. "Tell her what we're doing" Kisame said "everything. Maybe when she realises what danger we're all in she'll change her mind. Then tell her where you're from and that she won't be able to come with you when we go back."

"I will try" he started talking to it but the female interrupted. When she had finished he sighed and said "all right." He looked at them and said "she said she will come with us and what happens when we win we will see then."

They accepted this and helped the boy to his feet, starting off. When they reached the sunlight the creature suddenly jerked and practically flew up his leg and under Naruto's chain-mail shirt. The boy yelped, startled, and tried to shake it out. Itachi grabbed his arm and said soothingly "calm down Naruto, she means only to hide from the sunlight."

The boy took a few minutes to calm down, showing that side they had only seen very rarely. It was a side that feared any sought of touch or closeness; the side that had made him flip Suigetsu when he had first awoke. And again they found themselves wondering why.

Finally he looked up at Itachi numbly and said "hi... hide? Why? Why hide here in my...under my clothes?"

"Because the biju were all born and raised deep inside forests such as this." He motioned at the trees they had just come out off. "They have never been in direct sunlight before. It would be hurting her eyes and she wishes to use you to shade them, that is all" Itachi spoke soothingly to him.

"That is all?" he frowned, recovering. "Yes my young friend" Itachi said gently "you are her friend, she came for you and assumed you would protect her." This got Naruto. His face creased in determination and he stroked the spot where the creature rested as if calming her as well as himself. "Then I will protect her like the friend she proved me her to be by saving my life."

Itachi nodded and they started off, the boy and creature conversing often during the long journey and even Hana could tell that the boy and creature were getting close. He even seemed to telling the thing secrets about himself, when she found him lagging behind the group and his face a war of emotions. She lagged once and asked gently "what is her name?"

When he frowned in confusion, not understanding, she pointed to the lump and said softly "name?" Understanding came to his eyes and he smiled, saying softly "Kyuubi."

Accepting this she pointed to herself and said softly "Hana Inuzuka" before pointing questioningly at him. He frowned and glanced at the black robed nin but she shook her head and pointed questioningly at him again. Finally he sighed and answered "Naruto Namikaze."

The name only confused her. What was a Namikaze? Why did he have a name like that when it was suppose to match his soul? She asked softly "Namikaze?" and again the boy glanced at the man ahead of them.

"Naruto's people do not believe in the same as we do," said a voice behind them and Kisame strode up, the boy looking relieved at the sight of him.

Hana was horrified "you mean thy do not believe in the one true God? They worship another or more than one? But that is blasphemous! How could you be with such a person! They could influence you away from the righteous path!" Kisame looked at her angrily and for a minute Hana feared he would hurt her. Then he said gently "No I don't mean that. I mean they don't believe in matching their entire names to their soul, only the first name. Their world has too many souls there for such a thing to happen."

"Then what do they do? What means Namikaze?"

"I'm not sure what it means but their people believe in the name being something to inherit from their family as well as their belongings and so on, like a title would in this world."

Hana frowned thoughtfully "you mean he inherited the Namikaze from his father?"

"Yes" Kisame smiled, pleased she understood "When a woman marries and mates she changes her last name from her fathers to her husbands to show she is now a part of his family. Only men can keep their last names from their father officially. Women who have yet to marry keep theirs and so do many others who have power."

Hana frowned again "what if the family is tarnished-say the father is evil and cruel? What would the child do then?"

"It depends on the age of the child. If they are old enough to survive out on their own they can change their last name to whatever they wish."

"Take their mother's last name as their own?" Hana asked curiously and Kisame nodded "you have got the idea of it all."

"What if the child is too young?"

"If the child is too young and the rulers see the child is being mistreated they can take the child away and give it to another family. The child then takes their name as if they were born there. Naruto's family have a child such as that, except Obito has been allowed by the parents to keep his mothers-mothers last name as an ode to his dead parents."

"Why if he was mistreated by them and taken away?"

"That is another story but he was not mistreated-they both loved him enough to give their own lives to protect their only child. Naruto's parents were given the boy by the man who saved him and tried to save them. They raise him for him and the dead parents."

Naruto interrupted with something she couldn't understand and the older warrior nodded and replied before turning back to her. "What is it?" she asked curiously, eying the boy for anything wrong and stopping for an instant on the moving lump under his chain mail.

"Nothing. Naruto merely reminded me that Obito's parents had been thieves who discovered each other and decided to be together and give up what they had been doing to start a family-Obito-when they had been killed. They were atoning for their sins when they were killed by a... runaway heard of horses and Obito was rescued."

That saddened Hana who said she'd pray for them. "No need" he smiled "I have it on good authority that their souls made up for their sins and they are with their families with Kami." Hana felt better about this and said "and I can see that Naruto shall one day suit his name."

"What do you mean?" Kisame frowned at her.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Father said I have a gift of telling people's soul even after only meeting them for a few seconds. His name means tempest. I have the feel from him that his future will make him an extremely powerful being. Only I can not tell in what way."

Kisame frowned at the boy who was again talking to the creature down his shirt, walking by their side. Could that be why he was here, why he and the others would willingly abandon their home time just to be with him? Could he possibly become one of the leading powers in his time and they his followers? Kisame had heard of common folk in his time who have rose to power as leaders in their land, but could Naruto's future make him one of them?

Kisame couldn't imagine it, not THIS boy. Not with his instinctive fear of being touched and dark secret past. He had seen people in the boy's time who had tried and been tossed aside before they had gotten anywhere and they had seemed better to the boy is so many ways.

But watching his son follow the boy, the total willingness in his face to go with the boy through hell or high water he doubted his own feelings on the matter.

Besides, the girl was the daughter of a nin and probably had some future-see abilities she didn't know off.

They encountered many of the lizard-men war parties as they went on but the group would flatten them. Even the biju made use of herself, shooting around and freezing the enemy wherever she was needed or saw someone was in trouble and even planting herself to the creatures faces with her nine bushy tails, blocking their sight long enough for them to dispatch the justu-created soldiers.

However she very rarely left the boys side even though she had admitted to him at one point that she was better use away here and there during the fights and he told her to do so whenever she could. He told her he didn't need her to be with him every second and to do whatever she needed otherwise-finding herself food and relieving herself and even bathing in the water of a puddle on the misty morning.

Some nights she made herself a use to the nin too for Hana found her playing with the child while his father read or talked to Tsume or even eating. She would run up into his clothes and tickle him or hide or even gently stroke her sensitive tails against his body, causing him to giggle again.

But something more noticeable was happening to the blonde boy with her presence.

He seemed to be relaxing more with the others, laughing with Suigetsu and even only flinching with touch instead of freaking out. When Kisame asked him about it he only shrugged and grinned briefly before saying "who would of thought some creature of chakra could be a better therapist than those paid to do it."

When Kisame asked him about when he did therapy he said quietly "A few years before you all turned up."

"Why?" the muscular man asked, surprised he was even willing to talk so far about his mysterious past as he was now. The boy only shrugged and turned away to start collecting firewood, closing the subject by turning his back on him.

Kisame went to Itachi with this new information and the nin frowned thoughtfully "it seems there is more to our young friends' past then what we have heard and what Minato and Kushina do not seem to wish to tell us."

"But what could that be Itachi? What's so bad that they won't tell us, as close as we've all become. We're like family to each other now. What would they hide from us and make Naruto like he is instead of a normal boy-other than being a nin and more intelligent I mean."

"I do not know, my friend. We can only wait for them to be ready to tell us."

"I know" Kisame sighed "but all this and the few clues we're getting. It's like they expect us to work it out ourselves with just feelings and a few hints."

"I know" the black robed nin sighed "we shall work it out my friend, even if it takes us the rest of our lives and when we do we shall find a way to help them." Kisame was confused by this "What do you mean help THEM?"

"I get the feeling from them they have yet to accept what ever it is themselves. Perhaps when they are ready to tell us they shall. However I have the feeling that Naruto shall never accept this thing. It has scared his soul and mind so badly that he is unable to heal fully. Kyuubi is helping him face it but he shall never accept it fully. I think Naruto shall never truly be able to accept the physical and mental love of a woman, perhaps truly return it but he shall try very hard to do so and be worthy of it."

Kisame frowned at the boy. Itachi's words disturbed him, especially when he was noticing the way the boy was staring thoughtfully at Hinata and the way she sneaked coquettish glances his way when he looked away. Could the nin be right? Would the boy never truly fall in love with a woman?

Would Hinata's attention for the past year really come to nothing? Even though the boy was on the verge of manhood he had never paid attention to girls like Hinata, unlike his own son who had followed Hinata around like a lost lamb until he noticed where her attention was going.

What could have happened to the boy in his youth that would traumatize him enough to fear touch and reject his bodies' natural urges? Unable to find the answer he shrugged his huge shoulders. Itachi was right, they had the rest of their lives to find out. He gathered his sword, called Suigetsu to him and the two went out to hunt dinner.

The next morning they reached a small town. Itachi lead them to a hut near the back of the village and took his son up to the front door while the others hung back. His knock was answered with a small frightened "Go away!"

Itachi called out softly "open the door Tayuga! Do you not know my voice?"

"No. Who are you?"

"Who else would know you and Diedara once masqueraded as brother and sister to steal the Crystal I bare from the nin who once ruled this land Zabuza. He was not very pleased and turned you into a goat" Itachi's voice was full of humour "I had the steal his jutsu book and turn you back."

There was a stunned pause and the voice came back with a cautious "Itachi?"

"Tachi, you know that."

"Itachi!" came another excited voice and the door was flung open so a feminine figure could throw herself into the nins' arms, laughing and crying at the same time "when we did not hear from you all for five years we thought you were killed-we all did!"

"We all were not killed. Kisame and I lived to rescue the boys before Zabuza could give their souls to the evil one. We fought and I was badly injured. He sent us to another world before he died. There a new friend and his family found us and healed us. Now we are back to stop Gato from taking over his masters place and put someone else stronger and chosen by Kami on the throne instead."

"Who?" she drew back to look him in the eyes "who shall rule Rock instead of him?"

"I do not know yet" he confessed "but I have the feeling Kami shall provide that for us. We have only to clear the way for him."

The woman nodded solemnly, accepting his word and looked over his shoulder "greetings Kisame, Suigetsu." When the two warriors nodded their hello's she scanned the rest of the group "where is..." she suddenly remembered his words and her eyes widened all the way "they were not..."

Itachi nodded solemnly.

"Oh God, Itachi I am so sorry" she hugged him close to her, trying to show him how much she was sorry and when he finally drew back she called out over her shoulder "it is safe Diedara. They are who they say they are."

A blonde haired man came to the door and saw them, cautiously stepping out to his wife's side and hugging the man briefly, followed by Kisame when he stepped up to his friend's side. "I am sorry about before" the man apologised to them "but Gato has the entire town terrified."

"And not just this town from what we have seen" Kisame added. The couple nodded in agreement then asked curiously "if you mean to stop him why are you here?"

"Because I have no wish to expose my son to any further danger" Itachi said as he looked down at his son, causing them to follow his eyes. "He has been through more already than a child should."

"And you wish us to watch over him while you go to do this" Tayuga finished for him and he nodded solemnly. "Of course we shall do so," Diedara said as she knelt in front of the boy "greetings Sasuke."

The boy didn't speak, didn't say a word or even twitch.

Frowning Tayuga looked up at his father "what is the matter?"

The blonde boy at the back suddenly called something they couldn't understand out and Itachi nodded at him, looking back to look at the couple. "He has been with me since his mother was killed. I am afraid I overindulged him and he does not like the idea of me leaving him somewhere. He is sulking but if you are patient he shall soon communicate with you. My son knows a few jutsu's himself and we have all taught him to defend himself so he can fight a little. But he is still a child and needs help. Protect him for me please."

"We shall. You can trust us," they said, the woman taking the child's hand from his father and pulling him towards the door. The child protested along with some other inappropriate words-words a child should not know let along say.

"Sasuke, SASUKE, never say that again," Itachi said to his child in English. "Then don't go" the boy said softly with a tinge of fear at the separation in his voice, a note of pleading. "I must, you know that," the man said to his son.

"Then you can not stop me," the boy said in a little spoilt voice. However the spoilt tone was ruined by the fearful shake in it and the two red eyes that set on his father and shone with tears. "You know I can and you know I must do this without you. I can not afford to worry about your safety all the time or we shall never win this war and save the people your mother and I and uncle Kisame and Suigetsu care about."

"But Naru and Suigetsu can go and they are not as good a fighter as you and uncle Kisame" the boy protested, bottom lip trembling.

"You know why they are coming my son. If you wish to help me you must stay here so I can fight without worrying about you. Use the window jutsu if you must to check on me but stay here" he glanced up at the couple "protect Diedara and Tayuga for me, they are one of my few true friends."

The boy hesitated and the whispered "I will daddy."

"Thank you my son." He said back and pulled the boy close so he could hug him tightly for a few long minutes. Then Kisame called out and he rose "remember I love you my son."

"Me too" the boy said, eyes filling with tears which ran down his face as they separated and their hands reluctantly let go. With one last look at the couple he turned and joined the group as they started to leave. He waved and they were soon out of sight of the house.

When they were gone Tayuga looked down at the child and asked gently "come inside Sasuke. We have some nice apple pie you can have. Are you hungry?"

"No" the boy said without looking away from where his father and others had gone "I'm not hungry."

"Sure you are" she smiled "come inside and have something to eat. We have plenty to share. Diedara and I are just about to have some lunch, why do you not join us?"

"No" the boy said again without moving and when she went to protest again Diedara stopped his wife. "Leave him for a few minutes" he told her as he guided her away into the house "he shall join us when he is ready."

She bit back her protests and let him lead her inside. They set out three meals and sat down to eat. When they were half way through there was a noise and the boy came in without his cloak and hood, joining them at the table and starting to eat without a word.

However Tayuga and Diedara exchanged smiles when they realised they were on their first step to building a friendship with the young son of their friend.

The blow on the back of his head caught him by surprise and Naruto collapsed without a sound. A sleep-jutsu was then weaved around the entire camp so they could slither inside and look around. There was a slight sound and they found Itachi stirring awake, sensing danger and his crystal having protected him from the jutsu.

They crept to his side and while one clamped a hand over the nins' mouth another trapped him down and a third pushed his sword out of reach. The instant the scaly hand clamped over his mouth he was instantly awake, a defence jutsu coming immediately to mind.

Before he could start to weave it there was a vicious blow to his head and he blacked out, allowing them to tie him up and pull him to his feet, to carry him off. There was a sudden sound and Hana started to stir as well, somehow immune to the jutsu and she sat up with a choked scream and grabbed her sword.

Instantly they jumped on her, trying to overpower her. Hana screamed and thrashed, there was a flash of power and the others started to wake up. Realising they were discovered two ran off carrying her while the rest stayed to hold the group off.

Hana heard her mother call her name in panic, she started to cry back but one of the creatures hissed in her ear "speak and we shall run your friend through." A knife was held above the unconscious nin's heart and she had no doubt they would be more than eager to follow through the threat.

So she was quiet, allowing them to push her roughly through the trees.

Two days later they reached castle Rock. The lizard men had been forced to keep the nin unconscious the entire way for every time he stirred and started to come too they could sense the beginnings of a jutsu. After removing the nin's pouches and taking his sword and scabbard away from him they were lead downstairs and thrown into an already crowded cell. Their weapons were thrown carelessly onto the floor a distance from them, enough to get their hopes up but far enough so they couldn't find a way to them.

Two prisoners caught them as they were shoved inside, the one who had caught the man gently lowering him to the floor. Some prisoners gasped "an nin! They caught a black robed nin!" But one prisoner in particular saw Hana and pushed his way to her, crying her name as he did. She spun at the voice and froze "Kiba? Kiba my brother?"

"Yes my twin" he laughed as he caught her up, hugging her tightly in relief and joy. It was a quirk of fate that they she had been put into the same cell as him, she had thought she would have to look for him yet here they were together.

Before he could question her as to how she had been captured there was a loud shocked gasp of recognition. Both looked across to find one man bent over the unconscious nin. His black hood had fallen back, pillowing his head and for the first time Hana got a clear full look of him. Although he was pale and thin and cheeks flushed, she liked his face and looks.

"What is wrong, Zetsu?" Kiba asked the man who had gasped. He was too shocked to speak for a while then managed to stutter out "it is...he is...I mean he..."

"Come on man, spit it out" another said. The man finally managed to "It is he. He has returned."

"What do you mean by HIM?" Another queried and he managed to answer "The black robed nin with eyes of red. The blessed one." Kibas' eyes widened nearly all the way in disbelief and recognition "You mean it truly is him?"

"Yes sir."

"What is going on?" Hana asked, completely confused by it all "You know him brother? Who is he?" Kiba looked at his twin in surprise "You do not know who this is, sister?"

"He said his name was Itachi Uchiha. Why? Who is he too you?"

"Hana there is only one person alive who has eyes like that. He is the man who fought Zabuza five years ago and destroyed him. The one who disappeared with his son, warrior protector and the warriors' son? No being knows what happened to them, if they died and went to join the one true god or left to live in a new land." He looked intently at his twin "where has he been my sister?"

Hana frowned and spoke "he said he has been living with this young warrior and his family in another land in peace. It is far far away and until a few weeks ago he had no idea how to get home.

When he discovered the situation from Mist he and his companions headed here to save us all, and stop Gato. He said he only wishes some of the jutsu books so he can find the jutsu Zubuza used on them to send his friends Naruto and Hinata back to their own land. It explains why they could not speak our language and their strange ways" she quickly recapped what the warrior had told her.

She then went on, telling them all that had happened since her twin had been kidnapped and all that had been said. She then said softly "but as Itachi says what are we gonna do about someone to replace Zubuza if we prove god we are worthy of having our land and lives back? Who will rule since all the royal family are dead?"

"Kiba" the man, Zetsu, said with a firm determined tone "Kiba shall rule us. I vote we have our soon-to-be hero rule us."

"What do you mean?" another asked him. "Think about it my fellow people" he turned to look at the others in the cell and the ones on either side of them "god obviously wishes it."

"What do you mean?" another repeated the first man's question.

"God made it so Gato would capture him and throw him in here. The saviour knew that his sister and mother would come after him so they would find and guide the blessed one and his companions here. The saviour knew when they brought them here we would liberated. The one true god wants him to save us so he would want him to be our king as well."

"Yes!" the first cried, eyes wide and started to cheer "Kiba! King Kiba!"

Others took up the cry until soon the entire dungeons were filled with the prisoners cheering for their newly chosen King. Kiba was touched and raised a hand for silence. After the cries had calmed he spoke "I thank you for your confidence in me being able to do God's will and promise you after we have got our land back I shall do all in my power to return you land and help you rebuild your farms and homes. I shall listen to you like a King is suppose to and do all I can to heal our world from Zubuza and then Gatos' destruction. You have my solemn vow to The Saviour himself."

The group cheered again, excited about the thought of a peaceful life and after they calmed Kiba looked back at his twin as she asked "how are you sure he would be able to stop Gato any easier than Zubuza?"

"He is God's chosen, my twin. He has power no one else could dream off."

"Yes." Zetsu and the others started in surprise when the confirmation came from the man on the ground, from Itachi's lips. He sat up suddenly and winced in pain at his head, pulling the hood down low over his face again and continuing, "I shall do all in my power to stop this. I shall do all in my knowledge to prevent another holocaust such as Zubuza was."

"And we are thankful for it, sir." Zetsu said.

"Do not call me sir or lord for I am no prince or king. I am Itachi and if you call me either of the other ones I shall turn you into slugs. Understand?" They answered yes and a few even giggled at the thought.

"Good now aid me in raising please."

Zetsu helped him to his feet and held him steady and then released him slowly, cautiously. He stood steady and reached up to the lump on the back of his head, wincing again as his hood fell back momentarily to show most his face. He looked around slowly, mumbling to himself "now where did they put my sword?"

"Over here sir...I mean Itachi" and a young frightened-looking woman said, pointing to the pile of weapons where his pouches and sword lay on the very top. She had a child about five gripping her long skirts, frightened and dirty. "How are you going to reach them?"

"Like this my pretty one. Watch." Holding his hand out and pointing at the sword he called something out in the language of chakra. The crystal top lit up instantly and rose into the air, floating beside the pile. "And bring my pouches as well" he called out to it and the small leather pouches lit up as well and followed the sword into his waiting hands.

The other prisoners gasped as he caught them and leaned the sword against the wall while he attached the pouches to his belt under his robe. Then he took the sword again, the crystal glowing red as he touched it to the lump on his head, healing it and deleting the pain. Then before anyone else could speak the child stepped forward and began tugging at his robes. The nin knelt in front of her, still gripping the staff and asked softly "yes young one?"

"Why are your eyes like that?"

"Well when I was very young I discovered my chakra. With my wife we experimented with spells. One went bad and our eyes went this colour. And that was not all."

"What else?" she asked innocently. "When our eyes were wrong like this so did our son. Because he was inside his mothers tummy when it happened."

"You mean your baby and wife have them too?" the child asked curiously and he nodded "although I would not call my Sasuke a baby now. He is about your age."

"Really?" her eyes widened slightly "where is he now?"

"Safe with some friends little one. With some friends."

"Oh. Where is she? You wife?"

"She died in battle when the bad man killed her for trying to save our son."

"Oh" The child said and looked ashamed for asking. "That is all right child. That was five years ago and I can think about the good if I want. It does not hurt that much anymore."

"Do you see like us?"

"Yes but my sight is stronger than yours."

"What do you mean?"

"I can see things clearer and further away than you can and I can see a little better than you could in the dark. Like I can see your eyes are blue."

"Yes!" the child said in surprise. "And you have a cut on your cheek. Here, let me heal it" and he ran a gentle finger down the cut. As his finger moved down it folded together and healed. The child gasped and touched her unmarked cheek in shock, then ran to her mother who examined it in awe. The child suddenly thought of something and looked back to Itachi. "Mommy is hurt, can you help her too?"

"Of course." And hesitantly the mother came forward, showing him a wound on her arm and one in her side, which he healed for her. Slowly the others all come forward for him to heal their various wounds and injuries, even reaching through the bars so he could heal them through the bars that separated the cells. When all were healed Zetsu looked at Kiba and asked "What about you sir?"

"I told you before Zetsu that my name is Kiba Inuzuka, not sir, at least not yet. As for my injury it is healing. It is not that bad."

Hana looked at him in concern "you are injured?" and pulled out of his protective arms to slowly look him over, scanning him for any sight of an injury. He glanced down self-consciously at his left leg, face twisting in pain and he tried to hide it from her.

The nin and female warrior saw it was in a splint and bandaged from knee to ankle, that he was putting his weight on his right leg and favouring the other. "A couple of lizard-men decided to have some fun with Zetsu. I tried to stop them and they lost interest in him and started on me. They only stopped because I would not give them the satisfaction of showing my pain."

"And I owe you my life as well as my service Lord Kiba" Zetsu said softly, eyes full of his gratitude.

"No you do not" Kiba said to him "I only want your friendship, NOT you life or service. And stop calling me that!" He looked back at them and said almost apologetically "it does not hurt anymore. It is numb."

"Come here Kiba and let me look at that wound. Sit up here." Kiba limped to a raised stone bench at the back and sat down, putting his leg up next to him. The nin knelt beside the bench and removed the splint and bandages, revelling the wound. "That IS bad!" Hana exclaimed as she moved to look over the nin's shoulder "can you heal it?"

"Yes but it is a powerful jutsu and draws on my own strength, I will be weak and need to sleep a while afterwards."

"But it is not as bad as mother's wound was and you healed her with no trouble."

"It is worse. Disease has set in and is killing the leg. The nerves are already damaged, that is why he is not feeling any pain." He looked up at Kiba "as it heals it shall begin to hurt. I have an alternative to the pain though if you wish it."

"What?"

"I shall put you into a trance as I weave the jutsu and heal it. The pain will be excruciating and we can not have the lizard-men hearing your cries and coming to see what is going on."

"I shall not..." he started, drawing himself up proudly but Itachi shook his head "believe me you shall."

The unwavering conviction in his voice unnerved Kiba and so said, "so be it." Pushing back his hood he looked deep, deep into the injured fighter's eyes. "Relax your mind and look deep into my eyes. Nothing to fear, all is safe." Kiba found he couldn't look away and was drawn deeper, his face going blank as he listened to the low soothing voice.

He remained blank faced and looked ahead at something they couldn't see through the entire jutsu, the nin reaching up to snap his fingers in front of the young man's face. He blinked and suddenly seemed to come back to life, looking around in confusion. However when he saw that Itachi's eyes were clouding over in weakness and he was gripping the bench weakly with long thin fingers to keep himself on his knees he climbed off.

Motioning at two men they helped the weak man onto the bench and when the man motioned at his sword one man got it for him, laying it on the bench beside him. The nin touched the hilt and the jewel lit up again. Slowly the eyes closed and the face smoothed into lines of deep sleep.

Two hours later the cell was unlocked and three people were pushed inside. Hana was shocked to recognise husband and wife friend of Itachi's Tayuga and Diedara and the nin's son.

The boy's own sharp red eyes saw his still sleeping father and ran too him, slowly reaching out to touch his father's nose with one curious finger. He whispered in English, which they couldn't understand over and over again "daddy?"

Itachi's eyes opened and he looked shocked at first that his son was there. Then he recovered and the two conversed for a minute or so and the nin then lifted his son up onto the bench with him. The child curled into his chest and side with the nin's arm protectively around him and he went back to sleep. Soon the boy slept as well.

Three days later the cell door was unlocked and another figure was pushed in with them. It was a woman in long purple robes and hood of a second level nin and as the door was slammed and locked behind her she looked around. She got the same comment as Itachi had days before, a multiple cry of "A nin!"

Kiba was the one to first speak to her, pushing his way forward and saying "greetings Mistress. I am Kiba Inuzuka and who, may I ask, are you?" The woman's voice wasn't much different to Itachi's, soft and soothing yet hers held an edge of pain and hate "I am called Rin and Gato's old master killed my family and tried to kill me. I wish to avenge their deaths."

"In that case you are not alone my friend. This is Zetsu, Tayuga and Diedara, Iwari and over there is my twin Hana with Itachi and his son Sasuke." To their surprise the woman gasped in shock and asked "Itachi, Sasuke! Where!"

"With my twin in the back, why? Do you know them?"

The woman spoke four words as she reached up to push her hood back off her head "you could say that." Underneath she had rosy pink skin and high cheeks. Full and sensual lips shone red with a small and delicate nose. Free of the hood waist long deep violet silky hair fell down her back in waves.

But it was the eyes that made them gasp in shock and realisation. Red they were. Just like Itachi.

"Rin!" came a gasp and the woman Tayuga moved towards her, gathering her in her arms and hugging her tightly as she recognised her as well "I thought you were dead, WE thought you were dead! So did Itachi and Kisame!"

"Tayuga" the woman hugged her back and the man, Diedara, hesitated before joining them. When they finally separated slightly the beautiful woman asked them softly "what happened? I was told they all died fighting Zabuza."

"They did not" Tayuga smiled and quickly told her what the child had told her about where they had been and what his father had told him had happened when he was too young to remember. When she was finished the human woman asked her "where is Karin?"

"I do not know" the nin said softly, tears of sadness and joy in her eyes "I blacked out when I was injured. When I came too I was in the home of another nin called Niji. He nursed me back to health and healed me and when I was strong enough to understand he told me he had owed Itachi for saving his life and he had helped me to repay that dept. When I was fully healed he taught me a few of his jutsus. I went back to the sight and found she was not there. No body or trace of where she could be. I went home and stayed there until two years ago when I found out what happened. I headed here to avenge the death of my family. Now I found out they are alive?"

Tayuga nodded and Diedara spoke softly "I remember Niji."

"Please" The tears started to flow from her eyes "Tayuga let me see my family." Solemnly she took the other woman's hand and led her to the back, Hana gasping loudly when she saw her. With wide eyes and a gentle hand the woman shook the man until he slowly stirred awake, moaning, Opening his eyes he still clutched the sleeping boy to him, in fact they saw he held him protectively closer and he awoke.

As his eyes opened so did his mouth, about to ask why they were disturbing him when his eyes set on her and widened in disbelief and confusion. The words froze in his mouth.

"Rin" he finally managed to force out.

"Yes my heart" she smiled "it is I."

"But it could not be. You died, I saw it."

"No I did not but I almost did" and she recapped what she had just told the young human couple. "Oh my love" tears started in his eyes and they embraced, sobbing brokenly in joy and relief all without disturbing the still sleeping boy who nuzzled deeper into his fathers side as if sensing his emotions.

All those watching were touched by the reunion and thanked god that love could be reunited in this dark times. It was a ray of hope to all those starting to doubt.

When they finally managed to gather the courage to separate from each other slightly he spoke softly in a slightly choked voice "I too grieved you my love but Sasuke and I have made a new life in a new world were you would always be in our hearts. Our son still ask about you and he loves hearing the stories of our adventures together over and over again. When he awakes he shall be overjoyed you are alive as I am." He suddenly thought of something that sobered his joy "Kisame will be disappointed that Karin did not live as well."

"She still might" Rin said softly "she might have been found and saved also or managed to crawl away and find help. There was no body when I went back and no trace of an animal dragging her away."

The nin nodded thoughtfully and moved slightly away from his son, picking him up and handing him to his mother "take our son. I must sleep and he is heavy and disturbs me ever time he moves."

The woman took the boy, the child stirring in her arms and murmuring one word she didn't understand before curling into her and dropping back to sleep. It was as if he sensed who now held him, or maybe because he was just a child he trusted who ever he felt goodness on.

"What did he just say my love?" she asked him curiously and the nin answered, eight words before dropping back to an exhausted sleep "the language is English and he said mother."

It was another few hours before they got another prisoner in their cell and to Hana's surprise she recognised the teenaged warrior called Naruto. She frowned and asked herself softly "how did they...?" Kiba heard her and asked softly "who is he sister? Do you know him?"

"Yes my brother. That is Naruto Namikaze, the boy who saved Itachi and Kisame and the others and took care of them, gave them a home and food and taught them to live in their land. He is the one who hates to be touched, even accidentally. I was just wondering how they got him in here, all these people..."

Kiba got what she was saying and nodded as she left his side and approached the boy. As she got closer she called his name softly as not to startle him. He turned towards her at his name and she reached his side, trying not to touch him and motioning the people around them away as far as possible. She spoke his name again and motioned around her in question.

He obviously understood and made a few motions himself that she soon realised meant he was reenacting what had happened and was shocked to discover he had given himself up, he had let himself be led into here and locked up. Did that mean his fear of touch or any sort of contact was merely an act?

Then she looked into his eyes and froze when she saw what was in the intense blue depths. She realised truly what it was costing him to be in here. He wasn't afraid of the enclosed space of the cells but really the contact, the people around him. He was terrified and it was taking all his will just to stand there. He wanted to flee, run to the bars screaming.

And she truly realised just how deeply scared he was, that what the others had told her about his terror of any sort of physical contact was true, just how badly it affected him. She wanted to reach out and try and calm him, but when he stepped back from her and his eyes widened slightly she realised just how wrong that would be and that would only feed his fear. So instead she made a helpless gesture and asked softly "why?"

He calmed again when he realised she wouldn't follow through with her thought and said softly, voice showing his strain "Itachi?" She nodded, told the people around them to stay as far from the boy as possible and would try and explain later. She then led him to the man's side.

Sasuke, who had been seated on his mothers lap since awaking and talking saw him and cried his name in joy. He wriggled off her lap and out of her arms and ran towards him. But even he knew to stop in front of the boy and give him the choice how to react.

The boy hesitated only seconds before bending down to pick him up, a brief wince he couldn't hide and then held him tight and close and they realised that because the red eyed child WAS a child it was somehow easier to him.

The child suddenly giggled and as Hana and the others watched the biju jumped to the floor out from under the teenager's shirt, growling angrily at almost being crushed and the blonde boy said something to it that made it jump up to perch on Sasuke's shoulder and stay there.

"My god!" Rin rose and headed for them, eyes only for the creature "how did you...? How could you...?"

The blonde boy frowned and the child translated. The boy said something and the child translated for them "he does not know how he called her but she saved him from the lizard-men once and refuses to leave him. She helps him stop the fear he has at being touched."

"Why does he fear touch?" Hana took the chance to ask. "He won't tell us but daddy said he told him a bad man hurt him once when he was a little older than me in a way we wouldn't understand and since then he hates being touched. He can't help it."

"Why is he here Sasuke? Why would he let himself be caught when he knew the dungeons would be crowded and mean possible touch accidentally? Or did he not have any choice? Where are the others?"

"They're all outside the castle. Naruto says that he let them catch him. He has a message to daddy from uncle Kisame. He said he wanted to go because they wouldn't believe they captured uncle Kisame or Suigetsu and he didn't want to endanger Hinata. He wanted to go instead."

This surprised Hana who thought Naruto would not acknowledge his feelings for the other girl. And here he was in a situation he obviously couldn't handle mentally because he didn't want to risk the girl being hurt in any way.

The boy seemed to anticipate her thought and said something and again the child translated "he said Hinata couldn't do this. She's too sensitive. She wouldn't be able to give him the message because her fear would make her freeze up. Besides, if they had of tortured her before bringing her here he would never have forgiven himself for not going in her place."

"And he would not have minded being tortured instead?" Kiba asked thinking how brave this young man his age was, how much of an inspiration he would be to others. But the boy's answer through the child made him realise it was simpler than that. He would rather be tortured then here now.

"Naruto says that that bad man who hurt him when he was young hurt him worse than anyone else could do" he then frowned at his friend in the eyes. The boy said something soothingly and the boy continued to frown but turned to look at his mother as she spoke out "who is he darling?"

Hana took the opportunity to introduce them to each other and explain what she had been told had happened by her mother and the man himself, plus what her own sense of the boy was and had been.

Rin frowned, followed by the blonde boy after Sasuke translated. They stared at each other for long seconds then slowly the teenager reached out with one hand. When she continued to frown at him the child said, "take in hand in one of yours mom and shake it slightly. It is how he says hello, how they all say hello."

Slowly she reached out and slipped her right into his, held it firmly and slowly they shook it. This time there was only a slight wince in his eyes and they soon let each other go.

Once this was done the child wriggled until the boy put him down and took his hand, leading him towards his father. Once there the nin's eyes suddenly popped open as if he had known they were there all along and was waiting for them. The blonde boy spoke for a while until the man nodded and answered him shortly.

The male nin then brought the group to attention with "I have news. My companion here Naruto got himself caught on purpose to tell me we are all an hour away from rescue." When the prisoners started to cheer he held a hand up quickly for silence. "Do not or you will alert our guards outside this door as to the plan."

So for one nerve-racking hour of silence they awaited for the sounds of battle that would herald their rescue.

Finally there was a sudden explosion that rocked the castle and Sasuke and Naruto sprung into action. Using his sword-laser jutsu Itachi destroyed the locks on the doors and Naruto and Itachi got everyone into two lines and leaving the cells quickly. One man went to the weapons and handed them out.

Soon a huge wave of humans, some armed and others bare handed forced their way to the dungeon door and out, trampling the lizard-men guards in their wake and some of them stopping only long enough to grab up the fallen creatures weapons. They rounded a corner suddenly to find a battle up ahead of them, other humans with Kisame, Suigetsu and Tsume in the thick of it. They saw Hinata in a dark corner, firing her arrows with deadly persuasion whenever a lizard-man separated momentarily.

The humans all cried out in battle-lust and ran into the thick, Hana crying out their mothers name in joy at seeing her. The woman glanced over and saw them and her voice relieved she called back "Hana, Kiba, are you both unharmed?"

"Yes mother" Kiba called back "we are uninjured thanks to Itachi."

"Then join us."

Kiba nodded and they raised their weapons, surging forward to join their mother and fight by his side. "Rin?" Kisame asked in shock when he found her fighting by his side and she smiled gently at him, even managing to briefly stroke his cheek before turning to a lizard-man in front of her "Greetings Kisame. I am pleased to see you as well."

"Can you not stop them!" Naruto cried out to Itachi, his eyes full of helplessness at the closeness of those around him and rage trying to use it to hide behind so he wouldn't freak out.

"I can, I can cease the lizard-men at the source of their power, where they are controlled" and before anyone could speak the man had raised his sword over his head and cried one word before disappearing in a flash of light.

"What did he mean by that?" Hana asked curiously "destroy them by the source of power and control?" Rin suddenly gasped in horror and fear, eyes wide "oh dear god no!"

"What is it?" Kiba asked.

"Do you not see? Gato controls them by his mind. He has gone to fight him alone!" The group gasped in horror and Rin raised her hands, about to follow her love when Hana and Kiba cried "we shall come as well!"

The woman nodded and a few minutes later they appeared outside the huge double doors of the library. They heard the sounds of crashing from within and smoke drifted out from under, along with the smell of burnt material and flesh.

After discovering the jutsu-locked doors Rin transported them to the other side. The room was huge with one side taken up by huge bookshelves full of old jutsu-books, both the shelves and books glowing. Rin recognised Itachi's protection jutsu, but why was he protecting the books and not himself?

The walls were burnt black, as with most the furniture, the lingering smell of smoke and burnt clothes in the room. The smell of burnt flesh almost overpowered them. They saw Itachi in a corner and leaning against the wall, left shoulder and arm black and burnt. His face was creased in pain and concentration, gripping his sword with his bloody right hand with the crystal glowing. His red eyes glowed with power.

Gato was across the room from him, the left side of his face a mass of blood and right arm hanging limply by his side. A snarl of anger twisted his bloody lips and before Rin could stop her Hana had called out the good nin's name.

The nin was interrupted in the middle of a jutsu and thrown backwards with the drawback. He weakly managed to struggle to his feet again and look to them "leave here! I must do this alone!"

"No!" Hana cried out "we have come to aid you!"

"You can not" he gasped in pain "if you refuse to leave then I must protect you."

Before they could speak Itachi had pointed his sword at them and mumbled a few words and they found themselves in one of his bubble-fields. Not knowing the jutsu Rin could not cancel it so they could get out but neither would any of Gato's Jutsus touch them. They could only watch the battle in horror and fear, fear for the nin the twins had befriended.

Itachi kept his eyes on Gato as he forced himself to his feet with his staff. Gato spoke first as he copied him with his black staff, black crystal glowing with dark light unlike Itachi's that glowed as pure as the sky on a sunny day.

"You will die now." The evil nin growled. "Is that so?" Itachi said softly as he hid his pain from his enemy "If I die, you shall join me."

The evil other laughed and raised his staff high over his head, crying out something arcane. The crystal seemed to swell as a black dragon pushed it's way out, breathing fire from it's nostrils angrily and it's cold and hellish eyes set on the other nin. They narrowed threateningly. It headed for him with one clawed hand reaching out for the man menacingly, but immediately it drew it back again as a searing fireball scorched the protective scales on it's palm.

Taking advantage of the few seconds of the creatures pain Itachi summoned his own dragon, one of the more powerful and purer white mountain dragons, protectors of all good life.

With a blinding flash the two dragons met in mid-air above the nins', each cancelling the other jutsu out. If it wasn't for the depths of their hoods both nin's would have been blinded by the flash, however the twins and Rin-who's hood was back off her head-all were temporarily.

When their sight cleared they were just in time to see Itachi surround Gato in a bubble-field, the good nin collapsing to the spot as he cancelled their bubble with a cry of agony. Rin ran to her husbands and loves side, her heart in her throat and eyes blurring with tears. After five years of separation and thinking he was dead and being reunited this happened.

She shook him desperately, hopping to god. Finally he moaned and came around, looking up into his wife's face "Rin my love."

"Yes my heart" she laughed in relief.

He glanced at Gato inside the bubble who had collapsed unconscious. "That jutsu will not hold him long, five days or until my strength gives out." With his bloody right hand he reached into his robes and withdrew a small leather-bound book and handed it to her. On the front she read 'The Sword Of Virtue' in gold letters and the hurt nin spoke weakly. "I need you to get this. It is the only thing that can truly kill Gato and cleanse this place of the evil it attracts once and for all."

"But I can not leave you my heart!"

"You must."

"I can not! You will die if I leave you alone!"

"You MUST!" Itachi cried as he fought to rise, gasping with as much desperation as the agony would allow. "All right just lay still!" Rin said, trying to push him back down again.

"Good" Itachi sighed weakly and closed his eyes for a few seconds, opening them again quickly when she rose to go. "Wait my love." She crouched beside him again "what?"

"Take this. Go to Wave and find a warrior called Nii Yugito. Give it to her and you will be aided." He held an kunai out to her with the hilt carved into the semblance of a reared unicorn. "And make sure you take the others with you and especially Naruto."

Rin took it from him and frowned "Why my love? Why do you need them to come with me? I can teleport there and back quicker alone. I cannot take them all with me by jutsu. I am not that powerful."

"I know my love but believe me you shall need them and Naruto for this. Trust my word that you shall need him."

Rin sighed and nodded, kissing him long and gently as she ignored the taste of his blood on his lips and mouth. "Goodbye for now my love for we SHALL return to you, I shall return to you."

Itachi nodded weakly and she went over to the twins. As they faded out of the room the last thing she heard was Itachi whisper "I have and shall always love you my dear heart. Take my soul with you as you go from me" and she barely managed to choke back a sob.

Hours later they were on a boat headed for the island of Wave. The book had said to find the warrior Nii they had to find a 'place of peace and cheer' and Kisame had suggested a park or garden. Rin had agreed.

It hadn't taken them long to discover that the warrior man knew this woman they were seeking. "Yes I know her" he had answered them "Itachi and I saved her life just after we first startled travelling our world. She travelled with us for a few years, learning how to fight from me and how to protect innocents. But she left us because it was too difficult to be with us with how she felt about him."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked in English after Sasuke translated for them.

"She had deep feelings for Itachi and at first travelled with us to be with and close to him. But Itachi has loved Rin since he was a child so ignored her advances and gently tried to let her down. Finally she left us because she got the hint and couldn't travel with us because she didn't want to be so close to him with no chance."

"Then why do we need her now?" Naruto asked him. "When she left she took a sword Itachi had created years ago. She hid it for him and only she knows how to get through all those jutsus and traps safely to get it. When she finds out that Itachi needs it and is badly hurt she'll gladly aid us."

"But what will she wish in return?" Rin asked, frightened this woman would wish to have her husband as payment.

"Don't worry Rin" Kisame said "she is an honourable woman and would never dream of taking Itachi from you. That is why she left us in the first place, as not to be tempted to try and seduce him or say or do anything against your love."

Still a little worried but taking Kisame's word for it she didn't speak, deep in her own thoughts and wishing she stayed behind to help and protect the man she loved. Yet she knew she was doing better and doing god's will by being out here.

By early next morning they had landed on the island of Wave. Heading to the nearest garden they found a young woman about Rin's age doing various impressive stunts and tricks with six long sharp kunai in front of a group or seated children.

She wore knee-high brown leather boots moulded to her calves and leather armour protecting her chest, breasts and stomach. Below the waist she wore a very short leather skirt. Her shirt covered all but her arms and shoulders and part of her thighs.

Her long silver hair was plaited down her back and reached her hips, green eyes sparkling in amusement. She had a leather belt around her waist with a silver buckle, a unicorn engraved into it. The woman reached her finale and caught all six kunai in her mouth and hands, not even grazing herself a little even though there was no denying how razor sharp they were.

The children cheered and the woman sheathed them in a flash in a belt pouch. She saw the group, frowned and spoke to the children in a gentle and melodic voice "That is all for now little ones. Come back next full moon."

Some children protested but soon all were headed away from them and back to their homes nearby. When all were gone the woman headed for them but with eyes only for Kisame. When she was close enough she looked over each in the group and spoke to them, voice filled with concern and confusion "Kisame what is it? Why are you here? Where is Itachi?" Wordlessly the warrior handed over the weapon Itachi had given Rin.

Taking it the woman's eyes widened even further and she asked in horror "what has happened Kisame? I told Itachi only to return this if he was in extreme danger and needed my aid. He would only send you with this if..." fear and disbelief flickered in her eyes.

"He's alive" Kisame said to her visible relief "but badly hurt." She mustered control and said firmly "tell me what has happened."

"First I need to introduce you to my companions. This is my son Suigetsu. The others are Hinata and Naruto with siblings Kiba and Hana and their mother Tsume. And the child is Itachi's son Sasuke and the woman..."

"You are she, are you not" The woman faced Rin, face calm and emotionless "the woman he has loved since he was a child."

"Rin is yes" Kisame said softly "don't..."

"Fear not Kisame" she smiled at him slightly, amused "I am not about to throw a jealous fit for I have resolved my feelings for Itachi years ago. I may not have found another I feel so strongly about yet, but I know now I did not love Itachi enough." She smiled at Rin and said softly "I am just glad he found his true love so early in life and has had her for so long. He has not lost her."

"Not always" Rin said, tears in her eyes "we have only just been reunited." The woman frowned again "what do you mean?"

"Sit down Nii" Kisame said softly "this is a long and complicated story."

The woman did so and listened intently as he told her what had happened to them since she left and why they were there. After an hour or so she stood slowly and said "of course I shall lead you to the sword. Itachi obvious needs it to cleanse the place and stop Gato. There is only one problem." They frowned "what's that?"

"Where it is there is a powerful jutsu on it. Only a boy of virtue and pure morals can take it from it's resting place and handle it."

"What do you mean?"

"It was Itachi's own jutsu. He said it was to make sure no one of evil will or who is unacceptable could steal the sword but I had the feeling he had another reason for it, as if he made it for one person and one person only."

"Perhaps he saw the true owner in a vision of the future" Tsume said softly "and wanted to make sure only he could have it. Such an action suggests whoever it is will be a being God has chosen for a great and noble purpose."

"Yes but who?" Suigetsu said softly in Kohona. Over the last few days he seemed to be remembering more and more of his native language. Or maybe it was the closeness of so many nins allowing him to somehow tap into the power to translate.

No one knew but Kisame frowned mentally when he saw Naruto flinch and quickly try to hide it from the corner of his eye. Had Itachi told him something they didn't know about this situation? The nin and nin boy HAD been getting pretty close over the past few years. "There is only one way to find out" Rin said firmly, looking at Nii "lead us there. We shall see when we get there who it is meant for." The woman nodded and led them off.

Hours later Kisame dropped back to the nin boy's side, noticing how he was clutching his sword with white fingers and seemed close to panicking, eyes full of dark emotions he couldn't read. "What's the matter Naruto?" he asked softly in English.

"Nothing" the boy said sharply, bluntly but Kisame persisted "Do you know something about what's to happen? Has Itachi told you about the future events here? Tell us."

"No" the boy said bluntly "I can not. I can not tell you."

"Why not? Did Itachi make you promise? What's going to happen?"

"Leave me alone!" he exclaimed, dropping back to the back of the group and looking away to the forests on either side of the path and blatantly ignoring him and any questions he asked. When Kisame moved to the front again Suigetsu frowned and asked in a low voice "what is it father?"

"Naruto knows something. Whether it's what is going to happen or another I have no idea but he refuses to tell me or even talk to me. I'm use to him being secretive, but not like this. I think he knows what's going to happen and is clamming up out of fear."

"Why?" Suigetsu asked his father curiously. "I don't know son" he shook his head solemnly "and if this keeps up we'll never know."

"Maybe I should speak to him" the boy frowned at his friend. "No" Kisame shook his head "the way he's acting even Hinata couldn't get anything out of him. I think we shall either wait until he tells us himself or whatever it is happens."

"But that may be too late!" Suigetsu protested to him "whatever it is."

"Trust Naruto's judgment" Kisame told his son soothingly "you must believe in him and whatever it is if it is dangerous he shall warn us." Suigetsu nodded solemnly and moved up to join Hana and Hinata, joining in the conversation and acting as a translator for both.

Rin and Nii lead in front, talking softly between themselves-probably about Itachi and their experiences with him. Kiba and Tsume came next with mother and son deep in conversation also. Sasuke was beside them and listening closely, but when he looked back and saw what was happening with Naruto he turned and walked back to his side.

At first the blonde boy ignored his presence and Sasuke spoke not a single word, but then he looked down at the child and Kisame was shocked to find tears in his eyes. Itachi had told him Naruto had only ever cried twice in his past, what could upset him so much to do so again now? Surely it wasn't Itachi's condition?

The child looked at him calmly and having grown up around the teenager he knew just how and what do to help the boy and prevent his instinctive fear of being touched, while they were still learning. He simply slipped his small hand into the boys, showing him he was there for him and would listen when he was ready to talk.

Finally the boy began to speak, softly so no one else could hear him and the child only watched his face closely the entire time and listened, his eyes flickering in alarm but staying calm to sooth the teenager's fear. When he was finished the boy whipped the tears from his eyes and glanced up at the group, ignoring Kisame's attention and spoke again. Sasuke just squeezed his hand soothingly and allowed him to picked him up and cuddle him fearfully.

And as the child latched to his side Naruto didn't even wince this time. This worried Kisame greatly. What could possibly be so bad that not only would Naruto weep and be so upset that he would forget his fear of touch in need to comfort himself and someone else? He understood why the boy would not only confine in the child and be willing to hold his hand so easily, but not every thing else. What was going on?

Chapter 5

When they set up camp for that night the child came to Kisame of his own and started to talk to him. "What was going on there, Sasuke? What Naruto was saying that upset him so and made you worried? What was or is going to happen?"

The child looked up at him with wide horrified eyes and whispered "Naru told me daddy saw what would happen when we went in to get the sword. He made Naru promise not tell anyone but he thought it would be all right to tell me 'cause he's my daddy and he didn't tell him not to tell me."

"Then _YOU_ tell _ME_ Sasuke. What's going to happen that made Naruto so upset?"

"I promised Naruto I wouldn't tell anyone else" the boy mumbled, looking away from the warrior and a wave of fear and anxiety went through the man that both Sasuke had to promise this and he couldn't look at him.

"Sasuke, SASUKE tell me," he said firmly.

"One of us doesn't make it out," the child said in a rush of words and fear went through the warrior, "You mean one of us..."

"Dies, yes uncle" the boy said, eyes shinning "no coming back or being like mom-almost dying. REAL dead."

Kisame had never felt betrayed by Itachi before but now he did. "Why would he send us here then if it's so dangerous?" Did Itachi care more for his own life then anyone else's? Surely not, his soul was too pure to mean that sort of action. But still he...

"Daddy knew that even though one of us would die the others would get the sword and use it to clean the castle and get rid of that bad man. He said if we don't get it the bad man would get much worse than he is now and kill him and more innocent people."

So that was it, the greater good. If they didn't willingly sacrifice one of them for the honour of god and to get the sword then more people would suffer more than they already had. But whom were they going to sacrifice? Maybe if Kisame knew he could prevent it from happening and still get the sword.

Sasuke seemed to read his mind and shook his head before he could ask him. "Daddy made Naru promise not to tell anyone and I promised Naru I wouldn't tell either."

"But if I knew I could..."

"No uncle Kisame. You can't."

"Why not?" the man asked him "I can at least try. Please tell me Sasuke. I can try to save them."

"No you won't uncle Kisame" Sasuke said softly, firmly. "Why not!" the warrior was getting angry. "Because you'll be too busy fighting for your own life" the boy left him with those words before he went to join Naruto, curling up in the teenaged boys arms, seeking comfort like the child he was from this painful knowledge.

By midday the next day they had reached the cave where the sword was hidden. Naruto had been withdrawn all day, ignoring questions and any attempts at conversation, even ignoring Hinata and Sasuke himself. It was as if he was mentally preparing himself for what was going to happen next, to loosing one of his new friends or was trying not to think about it.

Nii guided them through the maze of tunnels and traps and Tsume neutralised all those jutsus around them she could or knew until they soon reached a wide cavern. Across from them they saw a low stone altar with a cross-carved into the wall behind it. Hovering over the altar in mid-air they saw a glowing object shaped like a long sword, the only visible part of it the hilt, which appeared made of silver, wrapped in leather strips.

The pommel on the hilt was gold, the entire blade of the sword glowing with a stunning violet light. "It is beautiful" Hana said in awe, stepping towards it as if drawn. "No, do not!" Nii cried to her but too late, a piece of floor under her foot lit up and there was a groan of stone on stone as the walls around the room slid back. Skeletons with swords and shields were there behind the walls, entering the room with a rattle of bones and headed for them, the walk of the enchanted dead.

They turned to flee but a stone door slid shut over their only exit, trapping them inside together with the skeletons. "I have these" Tsume said, ignoring Nii's words of "that will not work." She raised her hands and murmuring a jutsu.

Nothing.

Frowning she tried again and again the same. Turning she tried to raise or destroy the door but again nothing. "I tried to tell you" Nii said between gritted teeth "the chakra you weld is not powerful enough."

"Then how do we get out of here!" Kisame said helplessly, realising this was it; someone here was going to die. "Only the sword can do that" she said as her kunai flashed into her hands, to defend herself from the skeletons swords, the others forced to spread out around the room to also defend themselves and not be caught in a group with no room to swing their weapons.

"Whoever the sword was made for should be able to take it from the force field. Once the sword is drawn and being used the jutsu keeping the door closed and us inside will break and we can get out of here. Once it is outside this cave the jutsu being used to run the protectors will break and they will cease to move."

"But we don't know who the sword is for, let alone get close enough to try" Suigetsu protested. "How could we possibly get to it?" Kisame questioned Nii "there's too many of them even for me."

"I do not know, but somehow each of us must and try to draw the sword." She answered and Kiba called out "What if we are not the one to draw it? What will happen to us?"

"It shall reject you," She said softly "that is if you can even get through the force field around it."

"Then why try?" Hana called out "if it shall only injure or do worse to us?"

"Because if you wish to save your land from the evil it draws you must cleanse it and this is the only thing that can properly do so. It is the only thing powerful enough to do it right, something blessed by both Itachi and god himself." They couldn't have been fighting for longer than ten minutes when Kisame found out exactly who was destined to die for this weapon. Only it didn't turn out the way that he, Sasuke and Naruto had been told.

Naruto and Suigetsu had been separated by growing numbers of skeletons, the buji streaking around and trying to help, but even her freeze-jutsu wasn't working on these magically risen creatures so was trying to help where she could from tripping them up to jumping up into the empty skulls and attacking them from within.

Both teenaged boys ended up on opposite sides of the altar, facing each other but their ways blocked by wave after wave of skeletons. Suigetsu was starting to tire while Naruto fought still on adrenalin; fear of the closeness around him and what he knew was going to happen driving him on like a madman.

There was a sudden cry of pain and they all looked towards Suigetsu to find his exhaustion had made him slip up, leaving his chest open to one skeleton when he raised his sword to decapitate one in front of him. And the other to his side had taken advantage of this distraction and impaled him through the chain mail and into his chest.

"NOOO!" Kisame screamed in horror and terror. He had lost his wife and now his son was collapsing in front of him, sword impaled in his chest and blood gushing down his front. He was about to run headlong to his son, feeling lost and betrayed by the fact it had been HIS child to die for the sword and god when he suddenly realised the scream he had let off had been echoed by two younger throats.

Naruto and Hinata.

As he watched the other teenaged boy totally lost all control, face suffused in righteous fury and fear of loosing his friend as he launched himself over the walking dead around him and dived straight towards the boy. Through the force field and his fingers surrounding the hilt of the chakra and blessed sword, clenching around the braided leather covered hilt.

There was another scream from the boy as the power from the force field and sword both flowed around and into him, his tightly strung body convulsing in agony and whatever words he had been trying to say were choked off in pain and grief. His fingers seemed to peel back as if trying to let the weapon go, a cry of fear and pain but as Kisame watched in shock his fingers tightened around the leather-covered silver hilt as if forced. The power surrounded him from the sword and field entered the boy violently through his back-either side of the spine.

At first Kisame wondered at to how the boy could absorb such energy let alone attract it. Then he suddenly remembered the scars on his back on either side of his spine, left there two years ago after their experience with Pain, Fugaku and the others.

Of course! That explained everything! The buji and his ability to attract weak chakra and to be able to even communicate with the fox. The symbols of chakra that had been scratched into his flesh at his back granted the nin boy some more than his usual abnormal abilities, especially since the ones on Suigetsu and Hinata's back had healed properly and disappeared where Naruto's had remained.

The boy's body began to glow with the sword and his eyes and face darkened, became almost ethereal but dark as well. Becoming truly Naruto Kisame realised, a truly good soul yet with a taint of darkness to it but not of evil or threat, merely of despondency. The despondency of someone who has been scarred too early in life and even though they were struggling up out of it they had a long while to go yet.

But there was also something pure and noble and true there, something that would fight for the force of good and use the love of those around him to become a truly heroic soul. Someone who in the long run will become a wise and noble soul others will look up to and for the first time Kisame saw what Hana had seen in him when she had told him about what she saw in his future.

With another garbled cry he was on the floor on the other side of the altar, raising the sword high over his head as if about to strike. And a bright fiery light flashed out from the sword, freezing all those skeletons around them and those still coming and stopping the flow dead.

This allowed the group to push their way through the frozen dead and join Kisame at his bloody son side lying still on the floor. While the huge warrior gathered his only child in his arms with gentle hands, tears starting to flow down his cheeks at the graven paleness and how still he lay the others came over to join them, standing around them all unsure of what to do or say at the sight of the big man weeping over his only family left.

They looked at Naruto who stood like a statue on his spot with the sword limp by his side, not even blinking as he watched the big man grieve. The light had faded and they were about to ask him how he could just stand there while his best friend was dying when he looked up at them, what they saw there made them back up a few steps and swallow any words before they could even be spoken.

What they saw wasn't Naruto but was at the same time and this figure's eyes were still glowing, only instead of the warm but cautious blue they saw purple instead, the face twisted into darkness that made them afraid of him. They wanted to stay away from him and the power he radiated.

The figure looked back at the two figures on the floor and spoke finally, voice strong and clear, power shining in every letter. "He will not die."

"He's already dead" Kisame sobbed looking up to the boy, words fading for a second at what they all saw there. His grief allowed him to continue though. "He's gone already. I've lost him and so have you Naruto."

"No" he whispered in grief and denial and for just a second the eyes faded to blue of his own eyes then whatever presence was using him as a vessel pushed him away again and the purple was back, saying gently again "he is not dead."

Tsume frowned and spoke out "what makes you say that, guardian of the sword?" The boy's head turned towards her and he said firmly "Because God does not will it. His destiny lies unfulfilled."

"How can you say that!" Kisame sobbed silently "he's dead! I don't know who you are and what you're doing in Naruto's body but look, he's gone from me!" The boy\spirit looked at him and repeated calmly "god does not will it yet."

"He's too late! Even you can't change this. Itachi saw it in a future vision and none of his visions have been wrong yet! You're being tainted by Naruto's denial and can't see what's right in front of you!" The warrior blurted out.

"The vision given to the nin was incomplete and meant to do as it has."

"What do you mean, Guardian?" Tsume asked softly. "It was meant to do as it has and that was to provide me with a vessel to this dimension to do my mission."

"WHAT!" Kisame snarled and jumped to his feet furious and still blinded by his grief "you mean my son was killed so you could make Naruto grab the sword so you could take over his body! Monster! I no longer wish to have a part of god's will! I denounce him as my god!" Everyone else gasped in horror and shock and Hana cried "you can not Kisame!"

"I CAN!" the warrior cried "and I DO!" He looked up at the cave roof and screamed loudly "do you hear me you asshole! I denounce you as my god and will no longer do your will."

"You can not cease doing gods' will" the spirit said calmly through the boy "you have no choice in that matter."

"Oh no!" The man snarled at him "I do and shall prove it!" There was a murderous flicker in his eyes.

"You can not kill me," the spirit said softly.

"I can!" the warrior screamed but the figure repeated, "You can not."

"I can!"

"You can not," he said a third time.

"I CAN!" he screamed and before anyone could stop him the man had ceased the boy by the neck, starting to clench his hands around the throat. There came multiple cries of horror and fear and shock and he felt hands on him trying to separate them, but even the feel of Nii running her kunai along his arms couldn't shake his grip and the face was turning purple.

"You can not kill me," a voice only Kisame could hear said softly.

"What am I doing then, smart ass" he snarled and the voice said softly "you forget something."

"What's that?" he said snidely.

"My host is also in here" and as they watched the face and eyes changed, blue eyes and a fearful face, looking at the man with eyes full of pain and terror for his own life.

Kisame's face changed and he gave a cry of anguish, letting the boy go and backing away, alarmed and frightened not to mention horrified by what he had almost done. How could he have lost control like that and almost killed an innocent boy, and a friend at that.

"Naruto?" he stuttered, realising what he might have just done here. The boy was terrified of being touched so how was he going to react to someone who was suppose to be a friend almost choking him to death? In one stupid act he may have just destroyed not only the friendship he had with his child's best friend but any chance at a future friendship, not to mention a chance of the boy healing enough to have a relationship with Hinata or Sasuke.

What had he done?

While everyone fussed over the boy, telling him in soothing voices to breathe slowly and deeply Kisame opened his mouth to defend his actions, to tell them they had heard what the spirit had said to him, that he had been egging him on when he realised that was a lie. The simple truth was he had simply chosen this being to take his anger and grief out on and had almost ended up killing someone he cared for because of it.

He was a dumb barbarian after all, despite his thirst for knowledge. All that had been was his way of convincing himself he was more than he was. He had never disserved someone as smart and beautiful as Karin or a son as intelligent and handsome as Suigetsu and god had shown him this by taking both away from him.

And who was he to denounce god? What right did he have to be loved by such an entity?

And then he noticed the group had pulled the boy to his feet and the eyes were still blue and he was clutching the sword tightly by his side. The instant his feet were fully touching the floor and his legs had stopped shaking threatening under him the blue bled to purple again and the boy stood up strong and steady. He looked at the warrior and said gently "until you repent and restore your faith in god I have no power to restore the one you love so much to you. My power comes straight from the lord himself." Kisame frowned, not understanding.

"God loves you no matter what you do but if you do not repent and restore your love in him I can do nothing to aid you."

"Wha..." the warrior started but Rin looked at him "do you not understand, Kisame? If you repent and love god again he can bring Suigetsu back to you."

The big man's eyes widened and he looked at the figure in hope.

The figure nodded.

Falling to his knees in front of the figure Kisame bowed his head and repented, wishing feverently and thanking god for this second chance to prove his worth. He swore he would never doubt again or question god's way again, that no matter what he would accept it as his will.

And he meant every word.

He sensed movement over him but didn't hesitate or look up, only prayed and prayed and prayed. What he didn't see but the others did was the figure raising the sword over them and both beginning to glow, the point of the sword pointed at the ashen and bloody boy. The light grew stronger and stronger until it penetrated their eyes and heads, making them feel sleepy and good.

There was a cry of pain from Naruto\the spirit and the light fully penetrated them and sent them to sleep. When they awoke they found themselves about a day away from castle Rock.

They started to stir and awaken, stretching to awaken fully and looking around them to see if everyone was there. They found Naruto\the spirit standing over them protectively with the sword still clutched tightly in his right hand and eyes a dull purple colour. Suigetsu stood beside him, frowning at him and obviously not understanding why his best friend didn't seem the same.

Kisame saw him and remembered what had happened, on his feet and pulling him close before anyone else could speak or move. At first Suigetsu protested this but then as the others came over and started to hug or check him over he relented.

"What happened?" he asked when everyone had settled down "all I remember is the pain as I was stabbed and then waking up here with him standing over me. What happened to Naruto? He does not seem to know me."

"He is the welder of the sword for when you were impaled he let the sword's chakra possess him in order to save you." Tsume said this.

"He freaked Suigetsu. He jumped into the force field and even though it hurt him he forced himself to take the sword." Hinata spoke in English with wide eyes.

"But how can the chakra be possessing him? He is a human not one of THOSE nins," Suigetsu frowned. "The marks on his back from Pain" Kisame said. The teenaged boy looked up into his father's face and frowned deeper at the things he saw there. Instead of asking he questioned, "what do you mean?"

Sasuke spoke out "remember when Pain scratched those chakra symbols into your back so he could use that jutsu to pull the spirits into your bodies?" When they nodded he continued softly "well your back healed and the symbols disappeared, but Naru's didn't. Daddy said that makes him open to other spirits in the right situations."

"And this is one" Kisame said and the child nodded. "What symbols?" Tsume asked them.

Wordlessly the boy\spirit turned his back on them and lifted his shirt and chain mail to reveal the scars of white symbols of chakra on either side of his spine and between the shoulder blades, as well as a large blood-caked spot they assumed was where the spirit had entered him.

The nin and Rin both examined the spots, running gentle fingers down them as they discussed the meaning and why these together.

"We thought that they hadn't disappeared yet because he was the first possessed and this was done too, or because his soul is still connected slightly to Fugaku, but now we're not so sure." Kisame explained as they did so.

"Tell us what happened with this possession" Tsume said as they looked at them "we can not tell you what we think unless we know everything first." The group sat, the boy\spirit standing without further movement while they did so. His intense eyes continued to scan the trees around them, sword clutched in case of danger and always on guard.

"Hum" the female nin brunette said thoughtfully when they finished "if what you say is true then this boy has a stronger purpose to god then what we can possibly know. Perhaps the marks are meant to remain for some reason of extreme importance in the future we cannot even guess of. However I think as with that other union this spirit will only be temporary."

"But what if it turns out the same as last time?" Suigetsu said, fearful of loosing his friend "What if his soul is almost faded by the time this one decides to leave?"

"Because this is a different situation my young friend" Tsume said soothingly. "That first time that was an almost complete merging of soul and body, evident by the way your friend looked when it happened. The man who did the jutsu over you was attempting to completely merge both so he would have neither the knowledge nor will to fight his control. THIS time it is merely one soul is dormant while the other has control. When the guardian leaves his body your friend will have his body back and all control."

"How can you be so sure about that?" Suigetsu asked softly. "Because the guardian was created by the same whom created the sword. Do you think he would allow the possibility of such a thing?" They shook their heads, totally trusting in Itachi's chakra and actions.

"We must go now," the figure suddenly said to them without looking around, eyes set and narrowed. "What is it Guardian?" Tsume asked as she rose, seeing the look in his eyes. "Others are in danger ahead of us" he said "three warriors, three innocent woman and four nin. The nins are injured and unable to fight to aid their companions. They will all be sent to god too early if we do not aid them."

"But what about Suigetsu?" having almost once lost his son Kisame was more cautious about going into battle and risking it again. Again those intense violet eyes set on his but this time they were chiding, "that was a once off, part of god's plan. Believe me that your son is destined to lead a long and glorious life as you are."

Choosing to believe the figure the group gathered their things together and followed him through the trees, deep until they suddenly became aware of the sounds of a fight, metal on metal and cries and so on.

They soon reached a clearing to find just what the spirit described. There three warrior women stood protectively around four crumpled figures, one in purple and the other three in black while three others were bent over two of them, trying to wake them up.

The group were surrounded by at least fifteen figures with swords and knives, Gato's human soldiers trying to steal the group's belongings but having been coped had obvious knocked out their jutsued protection first and then forced the others into a tight almost helpless group. And in order to prevent injuring each other because of the smallness of their area the warriors were only able to defend themselves.

"We must aid them," the figure told them "their destinies are important for this land. If they die they can not join us in saving my creator and cleaning this land of evil."

"We would have helped them anyway" Suigetsu huffed and the group ran down the slight hill to aid the three women, leaving the figure in his spot to watch them. They may have commented on his standing outside the battle while they did all the work if they didn't notice both the sword and his eyes were starting to glow again.

As they joined in the fight, Rin going to the side of the injured nins and they soon came to realise not only how much the figure knew of what was going to happen but also how much use and how powerful he really was.

Whenever they found themselves overpowered or an enemy warrior started sneaking behind one of them there was a loud crack of power and the figure would disappear in a flash of smoke. Once they looked up to the dark hill to find the figure floating a few inches over the ground, entire body and sword a bright beacon of light and providing them with the strength of will to continue.

Finally the forces started to flee back into the trees and the four nins had regained consciousness, standing up with the aid of the female warriors and facing them. One of the black robed ones managed to speak, the gentle and concerned eyes of the blonde female holding him betraying their true relationship as with the one in purple and the brunette.

"I thank you our rescuers for that timely interruption. Without it we would surely be dead. I am called Shikiku and this is my mate Inochi. My companions are Kato and his mate Tenchi." he motioned first at the purple robed nin then the woman holding him. Next were the other two black robed ones as "Raionhâto and Unimo." Then the other warrior woman and the golden haired innocent woman were introduced. "Sisters Rinku and chên." Then the other two women "Neko and Gama."

The golden haired woman spoke out "we thank god for your help."

Rin spoke, introducing herself and her companions. The woman with the purple robed nin, Inochi, spoke out "what is HIS name?" motioning at the boy\spirit who was still where he was, only now his power had faded and he was looking around again scanning the forest around them as he guarded.

"He is possessed" Raionhâto said softly from the depths of his hood, eyes set on the boy. "How do you know?" Rin asked him curiously.

"I can sense it," he answered without looking away from him "the sword is his home. Someone disturbed him and now he resigns inside the boy. He will leave when his reason for the possession is fulfilled." Kisame spoke, his voice hard with a 'no lies' tone "why were you headed for castle Rock?"

"That is the name of the castle?" Unimo asked. "We didn't know. We are not from around here. We are from another land far from here. Forces here are affecting our land and so we followed it here in a hope to stop it. Raionhâto worked out that an extremely powerful mind is coming from that place and causing it. We joined these others on our way. They too are being affected by it."

Rin nodded "we are also headed for that castle except we know the source and WHY." The black robed nin , Tenchi, looked surprised "you do? Tell me!" And Rin said simply "My husband."

The man looked at her in shock and surprise and she continued while everyone else set up camp for the night. "My husband is an extremely powerful black robed nin. He is keeping our enemy and an evil man under a force field dome until we can get there to help him, but he is hurt and will not last much longer. We must get there tomorrow."

Shikiku nodded and conversed softly with his group. Then he spoke to her "we will come and help you save your husband." When both Raionhâto and Unimo agreed Rin thanked them and went over to tell the others.

They discovered how mysterious the two black robed sorcerers really were that night when they not only rejected their offer of food-stating they didn't eat the same as them but the two sat away from them all and conversed for a long time in a language none of them had ever heard before. But for some reason, even though the figures felt dark it was not an evil or threatening dark and they knew their road and reasons for joining them were similar-even true. In fact the darkness around them was more of a sadness-of someone who had learnt early in life about evil and it's affects.

However Suigetsu wouldn't stop staring, sensing something they couldn't about the one called Raionhâto, looking thoughtful and back and forth between the figure and the boy\spirit, confused. Finally Kisame came to his son's side and sat with him, whispering softly "what is it, Suigetsu?"

"I know it sounds crazy dad but this guy reminds me of Naruto. I do not know why but he feels like him, even acts like him."

"What do you mean?"

"You know when you care for someone you even know how they move? Like little movements or say a flattering of an eyelid if they lie and you know how to tell if they talk the truth or lie from that?" Kisame frowned "yes I do. Why?"

Suigetsu frowned at the figure "he moves exactly the same. His voice is a little older and deeper and he is taller but that is all." Kisame trusted his son without question, even more so after their near miss "so you think this guy may be the same guy only older?"

"I do not know father, but I want to find out."

"Could he just be the ancestor of their line? Minato's side I mean? Some things like that can be inherited according to Kushina." Suigetsu looked his father directly and said "and you believe that father? Even if we are from their time's past what is the chance of having an ancestor exactly the same. Especially if we are from an alternate time line than theirs."

"What do you want to do about it?" Kisame sighed once softly. "What else but find out."

"How do you propose to do that?"

"How else, we find a way to get his hood back off his face so we can see."

"How do we do that?"

"I do not know" Suigetsu admitted to his father "I can not think of that. What if Rin or one of the other guys summoned up a wind to blow it back so we can see?"

"And they wouldn't see that and be prepared?"

"I guess" Suigetsu nodded "I am open to ideas. I cannot do it myself, what if he IS Naruto and does not want me to know? I do not want him angry at me for it."

"Give me a minute" and Kisame left him to talk to the others in low tones. Hana frowned and glanced up at the figures then nodded a few times as if agreeing with Kisame and spoke softly.

After a few minutes Kisame returned and said softly "we have something planned. Just follow our lead." Suigetsu nodded even though he didn't understand and watched and waited. Hinata was the first to move, walking boldly towards them with a tray of cooked meat and fruit for them, a luring smile on her lips. The first to stop talking was the one called Unimo who was followed by the other who faded off mid word and called out in a confused voice "why are you bringing that over?"

"Because you haven't eaten. After what you've been through with the attack you must be even a little hungry." Unimo's voice frowned like he had an idea something else was going on and he said, "we told you we don't eat the same as you. We will hunt later."

"Hana and Hinata cooked our meal with the other women. Do you want to insult them by refusing?" Kisame called out. The figure called Unimo went to protest again but Raionhâto held one hand up for silence and it was then they noticed his fingers closely. His fingers were a little longer than normal and the skin was pale white, almost bleached-bone white. He wore leather gloves with the fingers cut out under the first knuckles and the nails were long and curved tapering into a dagger-like point and sharp as hell.

At first they thought he was stopping the other's protests over the meal but it wasn't until the boy\spirit on the hill suddenly called out "we are under attack" that they realised he had sensed those hiding in the trees around him.

An instant duck and he avoided a flying arrow and spun to face the archer, lifting an arm so an invisible force could throw him into a tree, unconscious. The fight then broke in earnest as the men from before ran in with back-up, giving them just enough time to run to their weapons before the clearing was a mass of bodies.

They couldn't have been fighting longer than a few minutes when there came a snarl of "ENOUGH OF THIS!" and all the enemy were thrown out of the clearing with their weapons and when another archer tried to fire an arrow in at them it bounced harmlessly off an invisible shield surrounding them around the clearing-lined by the trees around them.

"This was a mistake" the figure of Raionhâto said to the other and it was only now they noticed both held each others hand and the glow of power was fading from their eyes. They had joined their strength together to get rid of the enemy and create the shield. "I should have listened to you and not come. It was too dangerous for them to know this part of my future."

The other just nodded in agreement. "Naruto?" Hinata asked softly in disbelief "is that really you?"

"Yes my love" the figure turned and pushed back his hood to reveal his face and head to them all. It was what and who they had expected, but not how they had expected. Suigetsu had been right about older, for this one resembled late teens or early twenties.

Naruto, but not Naruto at the same time.

This one had long blonde hair to his shoulders with dark brown streaks through it. His eyes glowed with power and strength, but instead of glowing blue like theirs his were red and had pupils slitted horizontally. His skin was pale and white like his hands but also held a dark flush to it, his eyes almond shaped not oval. His cheeks were higher and his mouth wider. And that was obviously to accommodate the long and sharp fanged incisors in the top jaw. They were horrified "you're not Naruto!"

"I am" the figure nodded "just not this one" he motioned at the silent figure of the boy\spirit "I am what he will became very soon in the future."

"You can not be!" Suigetsu was horrified. "I am," he said again patiently "no matter how much you would like it not to be. The future is set and even you could not change it, I have tried." And before their eyes there was a glimmer of pain, of great loss.

As if sensing it the other put a gentle hand on his shoulder and said something soothingly. And there was the brief glimpse of fear of touch although it was nothing compared to their Narutos'. "What happened to you?" Suigetsu asked, as he looked him over carefully, noticing the way the cloak stuck out behind him and the still hidden other.

"It does not matter now. I came to help you but now I know I should not have. I was advised against trying to interfere in the past, but decided to try anyway."

"Why? What will happen that you would want to try and change?" The other spoke "it isn't what will happen, nothing like that. He merely wanted to be with you all for this is happy memories in the hardships that is soon to come."

"What hardships? And who are you to him?"

"What I am is someone he has learned to care for as much as any of you-as family as well as a fellow member of the group you are going to start. To me he is like a son."

"Why?" they asked him again. "My…best friend became close to him and when he … left him he charged me with being a kind of body guard and friend when he needs me. As for future hardships, well let's just say helping others won't be as easy as you all thought. But for no reason should you stop. After all even though there will be a few losses you will gain so much, including the gratitude of the entire world many times over."

"What many losses?"

"I can't tell you and we have to go now." He looked at the future Naruto "you know they can't remember this don't you? It would interfere in what will and can happen."

"I know" he nodded reluctantly. "You know what you have to do, don't you."

"I know," he repeated and his head came up towards them. Before they could speak the figure of the future Naruto walked slowly forward, his hypnotic eyes catching every one of their attention and boring into their mind. "You will forget us and anything that was said or suggested. We never existed here or in your minds and once we are gone you will go on as you were before you found us. You rescued this group and were rescued and after Rin and Shikiku set up the shield to protect you all for the night you hunted, ate and then started to set up for the night."

They couldn't speak or defy and stood or sat helplessly where they were. Naruto suddenly frowned and walked towards the figure of his younger self possessed by the spirit "you are too strong for my control are you not?"

The figure slowly nodded. "Then how do I to prevent you from knowing about the future?"

"I know but my host does not. Once I leave his body your secret will be safe."

"Of course" he said, backing up to the other "thank you."

The figure nodded and as he watched the two became slowly see through until they were completely gone. Once they were fully gone the group blinked and one by one they awoke from the control and continued on with their previous actions, totally unaware of what had just happened.

The boy\figure stayed up all night to guard them and early into the morning, only joining them when they cancelled the shield and moved out. Somehow the spirit inside Naruto was able to sense traps or other enemy warriors, yet they met up with other humans or warriors true to their cause.

Soon they stood outside the castle gates, shocked by what they saw. All lizard-men were frozen as if by a jutsu. "It must be the force field," Rin said to them "it is blocking Gatos' commands to his creations."

"We shall stay out here and help the villagers, just in case," Shikiku said and Rin nodded. Raising her hands she teleported the four teenagers and possessed boy, one child and four adults all into the large library.

Just in time to see the near dead nin collapse and the force field dome around the other fade away. Gato rose and staggered a little to his feet. Unlike Itachi he had had a chance to rest and recover in the dome while Itachi had been forced to stay conscious to keep up the dome. Now he was unaware of their presence, unable to fight the pain and exhaustion any longer.

The evil nin moved towards the almost dead other, meaning to kill him while he was helpless. The group heard a cry of horror and anger and spun to find Naruto, eyes blue and free of the spirit clutching the sword and rushing towards the evil nin. The sword glowed a bright fiery red just under his hands as he rushed forward, the other nin barely managing to turn and see before the sword was thrust in and embedded into his heart.

Stunned everyone remained still as the nin's eyes and Naruto's locked and for brief seconds the boy's glowed red, righteous fury twisting his face. Then as they watched a ball of the light under his hands flashed along the blade into the evil man's body, tearing a scream from him as it left.

There was an echoed scream from the evil nin and the boy was thrown back across the room, staggering dizzily to his feet and starting to thrown up in his corner, sick to the stomach by his own actions while Suigetsu went over to help him.

Blood gushed from the evil nin's mouth from his damaged insides, eyes flashing red as they realised the spirit had used the blade to enter the evil man and destroy him from the inside out. Collapsing to the floor still impaled on the blade he died slowly, deserving every second of agony for the lives he had destroyed and the innocents he had tortured and killed for his own power.

"Look" Kisame murmured in awe and they looked at the dead nin, even the nin boy rose slightly and whipped his mouth with the back of one shaky hand and was able to look. The sword was glowing with that gentle light, but it was also changing everything it touched inside the castle. When it had finally died away the castle was restored and beautiful again, the nin's body and creations gone.

"Itachi?" came a soft question and they turned to find both Rin and Naruto crouched beside the still nin. The rest of the group immediately joined them, asking if he was alive.

Something strange happened when Naruto touched him though. The boy's face was filled with concern and horror, blue eyes dancing with tears again as he reached out to touch the still mans' arm.

There was a flash of red light and the man jerked as if with an electric shock and when the boy drew back, startled they heard a slight weak moan of pain. He didn't need any more prodding to do it again, grasping the man's good arm tightly and a sudden smile of knowledge on his lips. "What is it Naruto?" Suigetsu asked in confusion "do you know how you are doing this?"

"Yes" the nin boy smiled "when I felt that thing leave my body and go down the blade it was as if he had left something behind inside me. I did not know why but now I do. Itachi created it and so now that power is leaving me and healing him."

Kisame translated and the others agreed, watching with batted breath and hope. Finally when the glow had faded and Naruto drew back they watched in joy as the nin moaned and moved again, tossing his head a little and slowly opening his eyes. He looked up at them with weak confusion and pain.

He tried to speak but Rin shushed him by a gentle finger on his lips and said firmly "do not say a word my love. You nearly died. You must rest and get your strength back." His eyes moved to Naruto, Kyuubi perched on his shoulder and both grinned at him in relief. He spoke to the man in English "welcome back to the land of the living. You better sleep though, your old lady does not want you to move until you are back to speed." Too weak to disobey or protest his eyes closed and he dropped into such a deep and healing sleep that even when he was picked up and moved out of the room he didn't even stir.

It took two weeks before Itachi was up and around. Since he was able to walk he was in the library going through the jutsu books, looking for the jutsu that the nin had used on them originally. But first he saw Kisame's misery and asked what was wrong. It had taken a bit of prodding but finally he said softly "I'm glad I have Suigetsu back but we're still alone and he needs a mother. I need a woman but only my Karin will do. You have Rin back and even though she's like a sister to me it's not the same."

"Kushina cares deeply for him, you know that" Itachi said "and she loves him as much as a real mother could. He cares about her just the same."

"I know" Kisame said "but he needs a proper mother, someone I love and care for as she will us. Not the love of a FRIEND."

"Kisame" a voice interrupted behind him, a strong female voice. He turned slowly, thinking it was Rin coming to check on her husband and about to chide him for disturbing him. But he was totally unprepared for the tall woman in leather armour, a broadsword resting in its sheath on her right hip. Muscles bulged on her body and her hair was shoulder length red\orange not silky violet. High cheeks and a strong face she had blue eyes not red eyes.

Kisame took a shocked step backwards, eyes wide as he stuttered out "By god, you're dead!" The woman laughed and slapped his arm playfully and said teasingly "do I look dead you brainless oaf!"

"Only one woman ever had the nerve to call me that" Kisame smiled with a mix of emotions and strode forward. He grabbed her and picked her up, clasping her to his broad expanse of a chest "Karin."

He was so emotional he barely heard Itachi say "she was saved by a villager after Niji had saved my wife. That villager started to nurse her back to health when they were grabbed by Gato's forces and locked up downstairs. She was there the entire time we were gone, struggling to heal and live. When I used some jutsu's to heal those in the cells she was one."

"My woman" Kisame said affectionately "my woman" and he couldn't stop saying it over and over again. "Put me down you oaf!" the woman's voice was muffled in his chest "you could yet kill me." Sheepishly he gently lowered her back down, the woman giving his arm an affectionate and forgiving squeeze. Looking at the nin he called his best friend Kisame couldn't help his smile as he said in amusement "I'll leave you alone to work, Itachi."

The thin man nodded his consent and the warrior man and woman left arm in arm to find their son and do some badly needed catching up.

The next day it was decided by all the people that Kiba would indeed rule the land, and he thanked them for their belief in him to do the job right and swore to them that all fighting was done and this was a time for peace and rebuilding. It was this day that Naruto choose to come to see Itachi about something that had been troubling him since it happened.

The nin was seated in the library where he hadn't moved from in the last few days when his concentration on the current book was broken by a soft male voice "Itachi?"

His head snapped up to see the boy standing in the doorway, silent sword sheathed on his hip and expression pensive. Seeing it and sensing the boy's overwhelming need to talk he said gently "come in and sit, Naruto." The boy came over to him and sat in a chair by his side, the nin pushing the book aside and asking softly first "where is your little Companion?"

"Kyuubi?" he asked and when the man nodded he shrugged and made an dismissive gesture "without Gato around we did not need her help anymore. She went home to her kind but said when I next need her she will be there for me."

"She is a true friend," the man said soothingly and sensed the turmoil in the boys heart and mind. The boy nodded and didn't continue so he asked softly "what is it you wish to see me about?"

The nin boy stirred uncomfortably "I wanted to talk to Kisame, but he and Suigetsu are busy with Karin. Kiba and Hana and their mother are busy reorganising the kingdom and do not understand me anyway. So you are the only one left." He sighed then said quickly "I WANTED to talk to you earlier but Rin said not to disturb you. This is not a last resort because everyone else is busy."

Itachi just waved the apology away "I understand. What do you wish to talk about?"

"I..well...I can not..." Now he had the choice Naruto couldn't find the words. The nin sat back in his chair and put his long fingers into a temple before looking at the boy thoughtfully "is this about how you killed Gato?"

"Yes!" the boy suddenly couldn't look at the man and instead stared at the carpet between his boots. The nin's soothing voice came back to him even though he couldn't see him he felt every word. "You know you saved my life when you did do you not, my young friend? I would not have survived another jutsu and you prevented that evil one from weaving the one that would have killed me."

"I know but I have never killed before. When we were fighting I only defended myself and others and the lizard-men did not count because they never existed in the first place. I have never hurt anyone before let alone outright killed. Sure I fight bullies at school but that is protecting other kids and this is different. This was killing someone who was already badly injured before he could defend himself."

"If he had of Naruto you would be dead now, we would ALL be dead and he would still be victimizing these people. He WAS a bully my friend and you were defending me from him. I was unable to even lift a finger at that point to defend myself and you saved me and his future victims from his cruel whims and blood-lust. You are a hero here because of your action."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a few minutes then said softly "I never thought of myself as being a hero. I was merely protecting family because you are. Itachi can I ask you a personal question?"

"You know you many."

"How do you feel about us, my family I mean?" It was the nin's turn to look thoughtful now for long minutes. Finally he said softly "I am fond of your mother and her humour and ability to know just what to say. Your father had a fierce dedication and nobility you seem to have inherited that I understand and respect myself as a parent but I could never have myself."

"What about me?" The boy's expression made Itachi hesitate and think a little longer about his reply. He finally answered with "you are special, not just to me Naruto and not just because you saved our lives and my own."

"How special?"

"I know not how to explain it. What do you want me to say? Why is it suddenly so important to you?"

"I want to know why you are staying" he confessed, voice showing the feeling of child-like betrayal he felt. After all despite all he had seen, been through and done the fifteen year old was still mentally an innocent boy. "I thought the eight of us were a family. I thought that we were going to use our abilities and experience to help people in my time with help from Hinata and Hizashi."

"Who told you I am staying?" he asked "Did you hear I say we are remaining?"

"No, but..."

"Then do not assume we are my young friend."

"But what about Rin?" Naruto pointed out "What about your wife? You cannot just leave her here without you or Sasuke after five years of separation. If it were I, I would want her as close to me now as possible. Kisame is bringing his wife with us, he and Suigetsu have even started teaching her English and about our time."

"I know not what to do about that" the nin admitted to him "I have been too busy searching for this jutsu to seriously consider a solution. I will solve that one when this one is."

"Why not now?" Naruto asked as he stood.

"Finding this jutsu is more important right now. The longer we are here the longer we are away from your parents and Hinatas' father. This I swear to you Naruto that Sasuke and I shall return with you. Have I ever not kept a promise to you?"

"No you have not, all right." Naruto stood and started to leave, but paused in the doorway and looked back at him "Itachi?"

"Umm?" the nin raised his head to look at him again.

"No matter what happens or you decide I want you to know we are a family. For some reason ever since you arrived in my families' life I have felt, well, like we are meant to be close. Even though you are nine years older than me you feel like the twin I never had. I have no idea why but I am glad you came to my time."

"As am I Naruto" Itachi continued to smile long after the boy had left him alone.

Two weeks later Itachi had fully healed and they were preparing to transport back to the year they were from. Kiba had given them a small bag of gold coins for them to use and Itachi had at first refused it. Then Kiba had soothingly told him to think of it as a thank you for all they had done, least of all reuniting the twins and their mother. He had reluctantly accepted these, especially after Naruto had told him they could use it for the things they needed in the future to start their centre properly.

The group was together and ready to go, Kisame and Suigetsu , Itachi and Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata back in their future clothes and talking softly among themselves, Karin in as close to their shirt and jeans as they could find.

Rin had spent the entire day trying to change her husbands' mind with no success and was now trying one last time as he got everything ready for the jutsu. "You can not go Itachi! This is your birthplace and you belong here and not some strange land and time! Do not go back there and take our son from me! Stay with me!"

"We must go, my heart for I no longer belong here. It is a safer place for our son and I made a solemn vow to return and I must. There are people there who rely on me, who need me. This place is generally peaceful and I can no longer stomach the death and violence of this world. I am sorry my love but I MUST go."

"What about me!" Rin sobbed in grief "I need you!" Then Sasuke had asked softly and innocently "daddy why can't mommy come with us?"

"What?"

Naruto who was nursing the child repeated it for him "why not bring her, Itachi? If Karin can come then why not her as well? Come on face it, you would not be happy in my time anymore without her and knowing she was alive."

The nin said nothing and although Rin didn't understand what Naruto had said she understood the reason for her husbands' sudden pause. She immediately cried out "take me with you! I cannot live without you again my heart! Please, I have no reason to live without you and our son for you both are all I have left! Itachi please!"

He took her hand so he could pull her into the circle.

Still stunned by this turn of events Rin didn't have time to wave goodbye to the others before the eight had faded out of the surrounding clearing and into strange others. "The warehouse! We are outside the warehouse!" Suigetsu laughed and exclaimed at the same time in relief.

"Suigetsu?" came a soft voice from the corner of the huge building and two tall figures appeared, walking towards them. The blonde boys' face lit up in relief and love and he ran into the two figures arms as they caught him up in relief.

Itachi leaned over and whispered to his wife "they are Minato and Kushina Namikaze, Narutos' parents." And suddenly another figure appeared behind the three, another man. Hinata ran to this other who's stern and hardened face relaxed in relief also at the sight of her unharmed.

The nin frowned as he and Kisames' family joined the Namikaze's. "What's he doing here?" Kisame asked the parents and Kushina explained as best she could "He turned up on our doorstep and said he couldn't sense Hinata anymore and demanded we look for you all."

"Curiouser and curiouser" Itachi murmured thoughtfully "their minds must be linked and our teleport to the past temporarily blocked that connection. That caused him to worry enough to brave civilisation just to find out what happened to her."

"Yeah whatever" Minato said "who are the others?"

"Rin and Karin, our wives." Itachi's smiled completely covered his face. Kushina gasped in surprise "you told us they were dead!"

"They did not die, but we did not know that. Rin was saved by another nin whom owed me and Karin was aided by a villager."

"You should have seen it mother!" Naruto said excitedly. "We went back to Itachi and Kisames' time! There was dragons and warriors and..."

"Slow down Naruto!" Kushina laughed "tell us on the way home." A few minutes later they left the warehouse area, arm in arm. As their figures disappeared from sight Naruto could be heard saying, "I still say we use the caves" followed by six sets of laughter.


End file.
